Hope, Resilience and Empowerment for Afghans

Dear supporters,

since the war started in Ukraine our teams have intensely worked to support the wellbeing, resilience and empowerment of Ukrainians inside Ukraine as well as those who have fled to Europe. 

Ukraine - IAHV Peacebuilding (iahv-peace.org)

In the beginning of the war, one of our Afghan participants in our online workshops expressed that they understand what the Ukrainian people are going through, since they had experienced it themselves. He said he would pray for them, as if the misery in his own country was no longer dominating. This we believe is the beauty of our shared humanity...

Currently IAHV's capacity is still insufficient to work more intensely and widespread around the world to support people affected by conflict, war, trauma and violence. However, we hope with time to increase our capacity.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Dear supporters,

We have had close to 110 participants attend the HRE Afghan workshops in the recent months. The sessions were held both in person and online. The workshop was held for one and a half hours each day for three days. The sessions were scheduled to enable people from different time zones to participate.

The participants attended from all over the world, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, Europe, the United States and Canada. There were people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Among these were womens groups from Malaysia, young girls who were affected by the school closure, and men and women who were concerned about their children and their future.

In their comments, the participants mentioned being able to sleep after a very long time. Even though they could hear shelling during the session, some said they remained calm. Despite the cold frigid temperatures of Afghanistan, they said they were willing to participate due to the relief they felt.

There were always people who returned to the workshop as they enjoyed the breathing and relaxation technique from the workshops. This workshop provided an excellent opportunity for them to connect with others in similar situations and join together in the journey towards resilience and empowerment.

Testimonials from the participants

“My experience was very deep, especially after the final relaxation. Though I joined after an 8-hour work shift, I felt like I was floating, and these few minutes of technique felt like a full night's sleep and I am ready to go back to work.”

“After the meditation, all the physical pain and worries disappeared.”

“All the exercises energized me and I felt one with creation. I will definitely invite my friends to the upcoming HRE program.”

“First time I am experiencing some positive emotions. I am looking forward to the next level, the HRE program”

"I was as relaxed as a baby in its mother's arms"

 "A big weight has fallen off me"

"My child noticed how relaxed I was, that I was smiling and asked me: why didn't you take me with you!!!"

IAHV’s team includes Farsi speaking facilitators.

If you know Afghans who would like to join, please do not hesitate to invite them.

For dates and registration: www.iahv-peace.org/Afghanistan

Contact: info@iahv-peace.org

Sara Yarjani, Whatsapp: +1760 936 6839

Helia Moghaddam, Whatsapp: +31 6 15365553

We will continue offering our workshops online on a regular basis.