No One Hears the Poor | Kathy Kelly in Kabul

Mostly men from an extended family that fled to a Kabul displacement camp after a bombardment. They are originally from Helmand.

No One Hears the Poor

"One hospital in Kabul, the Emergency Surgical Center for Civilian War Victims, serves people free of charge. Emanuele Nannini, the chief logistician for the hospital, reminded us, the previous day, that the U.S. spends one million dollars, per year, for each soldier it deploys in Afghanistan. “Just let six of them go home,” he said, “and with that six million we could meet our total annual operating budget for the 33 existing clinics and hospitals we have in Afghanistan. With 60 less soldiers, the money saved could mean running 330 clinics.”

Just before leaving Chicago, while the NATO summit was convening, Amnesty International announced its intention to campaign for NATO to protect the rights of Afghan women and children. Amnesty International should talk with the Afghan Peace Volunteers and the Emergency hospital network about caring, practically and wisely, for women and children in Afghanistan.

Surrounded by fierce warlords, cunning war profiteers, and foreign armies with menacing arsenals and wild spending habits, it’s hard for the mothers who visited us today to imagine that the situation can ever change. And yet, before leaving us, they smiled broadly. “For us,” said Nuria, “the possibility of a bright future is over, but at least for our children there is a chance.”"

- Kathy Kelly writing from Kabul

Caravan of Nonviolence to Jalalabad | AYPF Profile

On Sunday the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers began a Caravan of Nonviolence to Jalalabad. A city of the Mughal Empire previously known as Adinapour.

On Saturday there will be a unique Global Day of Listening call with students from the U.S.



Here is the announcement they sent to supporters

“As we set off on the road with a niggling worry, we wondered as usual, “Is non-violence possible in Afghanistan?”

But then, that is like asking, “Is love possible in Afghanistan?”

Or like asking, “Are Afghan mothers really human beings capable of love?”

Or, as in this video clip of our Caravan, “Do Afghan mothers wish the same for their children?”

Jalalabad is where young people took to the streets peacefully to protest the US Afghanistan Strategic Partnership dealings and where much good exists despite foreign intervention.

As our host and friend in Jalalabad, Hameed Tasal, would say, “Come to Jalala-good!”

Love,

Hakim and the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers”

*****

Additional Resource: Global Day of Listening | 9 March | Jalalabad

SPECIAL Afghan Conversation with AYPVs from Jalalabad:
Students in USA on March 9 ~ 10:30 am EST

Profiles of Nonviolent Resistance | Maya Evans

In December Maya Evans was part of a peace delegation to Afghanistan. Below is a profile she had published in Peace News. Peace News is a grassroots peace and justice movement building magazine in the UK.

Forgiving the Taliban

In the morning we were visited by one of the female members of the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, Lena, a young, intelligent, outspoken Afghan woman who has just qualified as a teacher and has already taught in various schools inside Kabul.

Lena was very much anti-NATO intervention and felt that foreign involvement in Afghanistan was only bringing further violence and unrest. She also emphasised the importance of free state education for all, explaining that she could earn a very good wage working for private schools, but she preferred to work in government schools, educating the people of Afghanistan. She felt that providing she had food for lunch and dinner that was good enough for her.

We were then visited by Feda Mohammed, a former official in the ministry of education and now an education consultant. Over lunch, Feda, a slim, tall, middle-aged family man, dressed in a neat suit and tie, put across the opposing view to Lena. He was very much in favour of NATO and foreign intervention, his analysis was very black-and-white: Afghanistan could have either foreign occupation or the Taliban (a horrible prospect to most in Afghanistan, especially those who had experienced their previous reign). He viewed the killing of civilians by NATO as “collateral damage”, a necessary part of eradicating the Taliban, even if those deaths included his three sons.

There was a stony silence in the room.

AYPV Abduli, a 16-year-old Hazara boy from Bamiyan, whose father had been killed by the Taliban, was asked for his opinion. One of the most moving moments of my life then took place.

Abduli was silent for a while and then he quietly said: “If a Talib was in this room now, I know there is only one way forward to resolve the situation… forgiveness”.

The room fell silent.

I looked down and wept quietly. I wept for his pain and I wept for his strength and wisdom. I was astounded that such a young person, who had experienced one of the worst things a child could endure, had chosen the hardest path to walk. Without a doubt that moment will stay with me forever and whenever I weaken in my conviction to walk the path of nonviolence and forgiveness I will think of Abduli.

Click here for more stories about the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers.

Maya also participated in a recent delegation to India with members of the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers to India. Visit their inspiring travelogue here.

What would Gandhi say to Afghan youth today?

Ali, Faiz and Abdulai at the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi, India


Too often the ’story’ about Afghan men is centered on violence. The $10 dollar Talib, warlord armies, government militias, armed private contractors, joining the foreign forces. It is an incomplete picture.

The steps being taken by young men - and women - to resist these forms of violence is one of the great stories of Afghanistan.

One group among many practicing nonviolent resistance to transform their society, is the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers.

Click here to follow their visit to India and efforts to learn more about the practice and power of nonviolence. Here is the first entry, a teaser.

Indian, Afghan and Human Poverty

"Faiz, Abdulai, Ali and I are traveling in India to learn from Gandhian practitioners in Ekta Parishad. We wish to learn how to mobilize people from the villages to protest non-violently.

Immediately, we’re encountering our own poverty.

Thanks and love,
Hakim, Faiz, Abdulai, Ali and all"

Justice Seekers | A Profile by Kathy Kelly

Kathy Kelly writing from Kabul-

"Arab Spring, European Summer, American Autumn, and now the challenge of winter. Here in Kabul, Afghanistan, the travelers of our small Voices for Creative Nonviolence delegation share an apartment with several of the creative and determined “Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers” who’ve risked so much for peace here and befriended us so warmly over the past two years.

…

Yesterday, I met with three young people who’ve sustained an inspiring example of community formation. Weeda Ahamd directs the Social Association for Afghan Justice Seekers, with help from Basir and Riha, her co-workers.

…

During their University years, Weeda and her colleagues had become impassioned on behalf of achieving social justice for those brutalized and bereaved by the violent forces at work within Afghanistan. “We realized that many young people who were thinkers had sacrificed their lives” said Weeda. “They refused to say anything but the truth, and there are so many of them to remember. Whereas the war criminals in power will not remember any of these people, we will hold up the pictures in walks. Some of them are people whom family members have not seen for a long time. These are the heroes whom people of Afghanistan should remember.”

Since 2007, Weeda and her colleagues have worked to gather information about people killed, imprisoned or disappeared by armed forces. They go to villages and talk to families who have lost loved ones to Taliban fighters, US/NATO forces, warlords and druglords. They carefully preserve the data. Once it became public that they intended to issue their report, they received threats from several warlords. The report should appear in the near future.

Not only do Weeda and her co-workers assemble stories, documents and pictures from the families of victims of war, they also help build supportive communities amongst the families whose trust they have gained through their repeated visits. Then they invite the families to form larger networks and come together for public protests and demonstrations, demanding an end to the wars. Grassroots democracy is even harder work at gunpoint.

“It’s always a present reality that we could die tomorrow or be killed,” said Basir, “but we would rather do that than have people remember us in the future as people who didn’t live in a principled way. We hold on to truth and justice principles. We’d rather live this way than live under the control of those who commit the crimes.”

“Crimes are not only crimes of the past,” Weeda explains. “War criminals are continuing to commit the crimes, and the US and NATO give military, political and financial support to the war criminals. Their militaries commit crimes as well.

“If a government were formed by the people of Afghanistan,” says Weeda, “we wouldn’t find Afghans easily accepting permanent military bases. Nor would they accept warlords in positions of power.”

“America is in Afghanistan to gain strategic control against China, Iran and regional countries,” she continues. “On top of power and strategic control, we know that America is here to tap on resources that may be present in Afghanistan, or Afghanistan may be a strategic route for the transport and sale of raw materials.” Estimates say these materials may have a net worth of one trillion per year.

She wishes that activists beyond Afghanistan, whose governments are occupying and fighting in her country, would pressure their own governments to stop interfering in the affairs of other countries.

“Any human with a conscience needs to consider himself or herself as a member of the larger human family,” says her colleague, Basir. “I feel I am a member of every family that has become a victim of war. Hundreds of mothers have buried their children with the beautiful white burial cloth. Hundreds walk the streets without a father.”

Weeda is aware that a solution is not easy. She says it may take a long time and insists it must come from the people themselves. Uprisings in the Middle East have encouraged her. “We need to get out into the streets,” she says, recalling images from Cairo. “There, people filled the streets as far as you could see.” Smiling softly, she mentioned the “Occupy” movement. “Maybe they will highlight the crimes that their governments are committing here,” she said, “and speak out against them — call on them to end complicity with war criminals.”

It’s hard work in the winter, and it seems like winter everywhere, but we create small patches of warmth to get us through the winter. All around us, people are finding hope in new connections and in their own startling example of the determination to create hope for others; fear is being traded in for ardent compassionate service; visions are being exchanged, seeds planted beneath the snow, crossing borders and creating new, unprecedented circumstances.

The warmth we keep alive now, the fires we stoke in a dark season, are small, but they’re everywhere. There is simply no predicting what we may be building with the work we do now to keep ours lit, guarding precious human warmth as we move towards another astonishing Spring."

Additional Resource:
Social Association of Afghan Justice Seekers

Global Day of Listening | Occupy Your Heart

Global Day of Listening
21 December 2011

Talk with ordinary people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Yemen, and others. Check the schedule for times (4-5 hours).

Begins 7:30 PM Afghanistan time
10 AM Eastern | 7 AM Pacific (US)

LiveStream



Inspired by

Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers,
Afghans For Peace, and the
Iraqi & American Reconciliation Project.

The last call was 21 September.

GLOBAL DAY of LISTENING | Friday 21 October

6:30 pm Afghanistan time (10 am Eastern, 7 am Pacific).
Will continue for 4 hours.

Click here for details

Click here for news.

The Goal

Every month people from around the world listen together to ordinary people living in war-torn countries. It is a way of letting them know that someone is listening; and a way for us to learn what the realities of war and hope look like.

The meetings began with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and spread to include conflict and war zones around the world.

Join Us.

Details on last meeting here.

Write to GlobalDaysOfListening@gmail.com to request a time to talk.

Global Day of Listening | 21 September

Global Day of Listening
21 September 2011

Talk with ordinary people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Yemen, and other countries. 24 hour project

Begins 4:30 am Afghanistan time
September 20 at 8 pm Eastern | 5 pm Pacific (US)
From 12:00 am to 11:59 pm Greenwich Time

LiveStream


Some highlights for Tuesday 21 September

Noam Chomsky (10:30 am Eastern US 9/21)
Kabul-based Afghan Peace Volunteers (9:30 am Eastern US 9/21)

Global Day of Listening | 18-19 June 2011

Global Day of Listening
June 18-19*, 2011
(* 8:00 pm June 18 - 8:00 pm June 19 Eastern USA time)


Make time this weekend to be a part of the next global listening project. The last one was held in March. The schedule is open and dynamic. Designed for you to join for hours or stay for minutes.

It’s an opportunity engage with ordinary people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Yemen, and other countries.

To hear their stories.

Don’t be intimidated. The vision is to bring people together in order to strengthen our strategies for nonviolent social change.

The home page has the schedule of activities and the call-in numbers to join this inspiring community.

Here is the schedule by themes, speakers, and times.

Here is how you can get connected.

You will hear testimonies from Iraqis working with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, Afghans sharing their experiences of community building and nonviolent resistance, Palestinians testifying to strategies to end the occupation, and Egyptians working to build a brighter future. There will also be updates from peace activists from around the world seeking to end their government’s roles in the violence.

These stories, these testimonies, and these lives are why we work to end the wars.

Make time this weekend to be inspired.

Here are some links to the incredible groups that will be featured.

Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (blog)
Afghans for Peace (Facebook)
Iraqi & American Reconciliation Project

Friday Review: Inspiring Peace Work

The global day of listening last weekend commemorated the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and Nowroz the Afghan new year. It started with a peace walk in Kabul, captured above. The Afghan led activities also featured a solidarity visit from international peace delegates organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence. These young Afghans are pioneering nonviolent strategies to end the violence in their country.

A Woman Among Warlords
Malalai Joya US National Speaking Tour Begins

After being denied a visa that prevented her from attending the first venues of her tour, the decision was reversed on Wednesday. The strategies to reverse the decision was an amazing educational and outreach effort that called attention to the war and the need to hear Afghan voices. There was a letter from elected officials (three Senators and six Representatives) asking that she be allowed into the country, commentary from major media outlets, and petitions, including the argument of ideological exclusion organized by the ACLU and PEN America. Check here to see if the tour is coming to your community

AFSC Statement on Libya

“We believe that it is morally unacceptable to allow military tactics to lead our response to human crises. The current foreign military assault on Libya is a step in the wrong direction, one that may lead the country to further instability, human suffering, and protracted violent conflict.”

Windows and Mirrors
Reflections on the War in Afghanistan

The travelling mural exhibit opens this evening in North Carolina to begin a three-week run. Please alert any friends you have in the area to the many community events and activities.

Global Day of Listening

"live without wars"
March 19-21*, 2011

Make time this weekend to be a part of an extraordinary three-day global listening project. The schedule is designed to allow you to join for hours of just minutes. Don’t be intimidated. I have been on past calls and was transformed. The vision is to bring people together, hear and share testimonies, and strengthen our strategies for nonviolent social change.

Here is a link that has the schedule of activities and the call-in numbers to join this inspiring community.

Three full days of dialogue gives you a lot to choose from, here is a detailed schedule.

There will be reports from the international solidarity delegation in Afghanistan, updates from members of Our Journey to Smile, presentations from Afghans for Peace, and moments of silence to commemorate the beginning of the 2003 war in Iraq.

You will hear testimonies from Iraqis working with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, and updates from peace activists from around the world seeking to end their government’s roles in the wars. These stories, these testimonies, and these lives are why we work to end the wars.

Make time this weekend to be inspired.

Here are some links to the incredible groups that will be featured.

Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (blog)
Afghans for Peace
Iraqi & American Reconciliation Project
Voices for Creative Nonviolence

I Wish To Live Without Wars

A powerful message of solidarity from young Afghans working with Our Journey to Smile.

The video pays homage to the struggles for freedom in Tunisia and Egypt and the hope it has inspired across the region. They also request our help, to draw attention to the People Day of Peace in Afghanistan - New Years Day.

I Wish To Live Without Wars
The Peoples Day of Peace
Afghan New Years Day
21 March 2011