Afghanistan may be among the least peaceful places in the world. It has developed a reputation of constant war, destitute poverty, and instability.
Yet it is often forgotten (or unknown) that Afghanistan is in fact a place of deep and great culture: a land of renowned hospitality, a vital intersection point of history, a source of great literature and poetry and the birthplace of Rumi. People who travel to Afghanistan nearly always come back with a surprised sense of abiding love and connection with the place and the people.
And so, knowing that Afghanistan is not a lost cause but is only lost, MEPO has committed itself to doing its part to support the rejuvenation of the soul of Afghanistan, through the children. In MEPO’s House of Flowers home and orphanage, children have learned to live and grow together and to transcend the artificial boundaries of birthplace or mother tongue. They live in harmony and brother/sisterhood as they grow, and the staff also sets an example of how to work together and overcome differences. They are a model of how Afghanistan could be.
As Maria Montessori stated, “If we are to have peace, we must begin with the children.”