All is well at the House of Flowers! It’s been a peaceful past few months with some of the usual changes that life brings:
- Winter was bearable, with the children staying warm and enjoying some holiday time. During that time, one of our girls, Farah Haz, came down with acute appendicitis and had to get her appendix taken out, but she is now fine.
- One bit of bittersweet news is that at the end of January, Qudsieh, a teacher of the older children at the House for the last 8 years, gave her notice to the House since she had decided to move to Germany with her family. This is a huge loss for us and also for Afghanistan, since she was one of the few adults in the country who know the Montessori principles that we employ in the House. She was very dedicated, talented, and hard working. We wish her the best in her future endeavors, and hope that she will stay in touch and continue to give her good energy to the future of Afghanistan in new ways perhaps.
- At the same time, the staff found a new house to move to. The old house was getting very run down and needed constant repairs and the landlord was raising the rent. The new house is just one kilometer away, is much newer, more reasonably priced, and is next to a big field where the children can play soccer and cricket. It’s a good move! A huge undertaking by the staff, but well-worth it.
- Our friend Reza Mohammadi works in Kabul and visits the House regularly. Recently he was there when several boys who had grown up at the House of Flowers came to visit. They are now either working or are in school, and it’s just incredible to see them as grown young men.
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Boys who grew up in the House. From L to R: Zaki, Noorullah, Gul Mohammad, (manager Fahim), Obaid. All are working or in university!