Save Afghan Women & Children with Health Care

Dear Friends,

Can you help?

The Safer World Fund has funds available for 50% matching of any gift to our project! 

The catch is - there are only 4 days left! This fund closes August 31^st.

Donate now for your gift to be worth 50% more! Your gift of $30 will be worth $45.

We do appreciate your continued interest and support of AIL’s efforts to provide health care and health education to Afghan women and girls. So far in 2015, 129,385 people have received healthcare from AIL clinics (70% female) and 82,068 have had the benefit of health education. Education makes the difference in breaking the cycle of ill health that plagues families. The people want treatment but they also want to know how to stay healthy.

One patient said,” I got pregnant 9 times in my life, but I only have two children now because 7 other babies miscarried. I would always suffer from this problem, but there was no hospital or professional doctor in our area to diagnose my problem. Now, I have learned about reproductive health and I want you to teach all women about these issues and why something like this happens during pregnancy so they can understand and know what to do to help.”

Thanks for your support.

Dear Friends,

I am honored to announce that this Thursday, August 6 I will be a guest on Beth Green’s radio program, the Inner Revolution. I invite you to listen live, from 6-7pm ET (3-4pm PT) as we discuss my programs in Afghanistan, including the health programs that this project supports. Thursday’s show is titled “The Other Side of Afghan Women: Dr. Sakena Yacoobi and See Courage in Action!” and the description is as follows:

Honored for her courage and vision, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi is human like us, yet has had to face daunting conditions, which continue to the present day. In 1990, Sakena returned from the US to establish education, health and training programs in the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. In 1995 she founded the Afghan Institute of Learning to continue her work. But when the Taliban took power, they devastated women’s rights, including access to education. Instead of crumbling, Sakena worked with communities to establish home schools. The resulting years have seen an astounding litany of accomplishments including the rebuilding of Afghan society. How has she done it? How did her organization found 80 secret schools under the Taliban at the risk of death? And what about today? Although no longer in control of the national government, the Taliban and repressive attitudes toward women still have a hold. What’s happening now? We often see the anguish of Afghan women. Tune in and see the courage.

I will share stories of the wonderful women and girls supported by the Afghan Institute of Learning; women and girls like the one who shared the story below with one of our health workers.  

“Our house is pretty far from the city and getting there would take us a long time. Even if we wish to go to the hospital in the city, we cannot afford the cost. The governmental hospitals even costa us a lot, and they are so crowded, so you get very little attention. I was pregnant and a few months ago I was referred to a clinic for further care. I told the doctor that I couldn’t afford to pay very much, so they referred me to this clinic.

            When I was in labor, we called the clinic since we knew they would help us and do their jobs properly. We went to the clinic, and I had a normal delivery with the help of the great doctors and services being offered to patients.

            It has been a month since my delivery and I have been going back for regular check-ups. The doctors have helped me to learn how to care for myself after delivery and they have vaccinated my child as needed. I sincerely want to thank the clinic and AIL for providing such great services for the common people without any delay or excuse.”

You can click this link for more information about Thursday’s broadcast. I hope that you will make time to listen!

 Warm Regards,

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi

Links:

• 2014 Annual Report!

AIL has had a health program for many years centered in Herat and Kabul Provinces. So far in 2015, 52,817 patients have received care and 33,427 have been given health education. There have been 3,679 reproductive health care patients, and 67 babies born in AIL clinics. Vaccinations have been given to 11,391 people and 1,611 children have been assessed for malnutrition with 555 of those being malnourished.

Clinics provide what is needed whether it is first aid, vaccinations, reproductive healthcare, preventative care, nutrition, care for illness and disease; all of this in conjunction with health education. Women and children benefit the most from these services and go home to tell family and friends what they have learned about how to stay healthy. Here is a story:

“One of the patients came to the clinic she was so weak and had a seven-month child that was malnourished. She had money problems and couldn’t feed herself and her child properly. After a checkup I prescribed Ensure for the mother and I admitted the child to the malnutrition program. After 3 weeks, both mother and child are well and she was thankful for the clinic and AIL.”

We need your help to keep AIL’s health program going. Thank you for your support

Dear Friend,

A Special Day – Today!  Matching Funds Available!

Today we have a great opportunity which we would like your help with. There are matching funds available for ALL donations made to this project today. This is a guaranteed bonus!

Starting at 9am EDT on May 13^th, GlobalGiving is matching donations on our project! Any online donation up to $1,000 made today will go even further to help our work. You can donate any time between 9am EDT and midnight to have your donation partially matched by GlobalGiving –guaranteed! Just click here and support our program on May 13^th.

The percentage of the match will be determined at midnight; the more given today the greater our bonus!

Your donation will help us continue to provide quality healthcare and education to Afghan women and children!

Please help by donating  to our project today, May 13th. Thank you.