TrustSulha

Gallery of students work to celebrate Peace Day

2010-09-20T09:47:00.025+01:00

Today is a very special day - UN International Day Of Peace.

And to celebrate, Jeremy Gilley, has set up an organisation called Peace One Day - the idea behind it is this:

"To us, 21 September is a 24 hour-long platform for life-saving activities around the world and an opportunity for individuals - particularly young people - to become involved in the peace process. 21 September is the UN International Day of Peace, a day of global ceasefire and non-violence: Peace Day."

Read more here: Peace One Day website

Our motto is Peace Through Education, so we are delighted to present this gallery of work from the Afghan refugee children whose education we support in Quetta, Pakistan.

The work speaks for itself and we hope you will be moved to keep in touch with us - we are small and friendly and would love to meet you!

We want to tell the world about our amazing and dedicated students who believe that educating themselves is the path to peace. So please send a link to this page to your friends, befriend us on Facebook www.facebook.com/trustsulha follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/trustsulha or email us via info@trustsulha.org.uk

We are always busy finding ways to support our schools. On Saturday, September 18th, we held a Tea and Trinkets sale that raised £486.94 (amazing, thanks all!) and we are now preparing for our major annual fundraiser, Dance For Peace, which takes place at the Playhouse Theatre, Whitstable on Saturday, October 2nd. We are currently revamping our new website and finally...

...to coincide with Peace One Day, we have launched a campaign called Change In A Jar. Its easy, we give you one of our jars (see above!), you kindly fill it with loose change, then return it to us or contact us for our bank details, pay it in and every penny will change a life. If you live far away, you can always request stickers for your own jar and we will post them to you.

But enough! We are here for the Peace One Day 2010 Trust Sulha gallery and we hope you enjoyed it. Let us know what you think...

2010-07-12T11:26:00.000+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More theatre

Why we need friends - Refugee Week 2010

2010-06-19T19:04:00.007+01:00

Well, it seems like a long time since this photograph was taken...

That was me in May 2002 when I first went to the Afghan refugee camps of Quetta, Pakistan.

On the left is my friend Ali, translating for Abdul, the older gentleman in the centre, who was urgently telling me why education is the answer to so many problems in Afghanistan. I have never forgotten him and what he told me about his life and his hopes for the future.

Peering between them is M Haris - a dear friend, the son of Jamilla, the woman who started this whole journey for me.

Jamilla is an amazing woman - an Afghan who, with her wonderful husband Nabi, fled the fighting in Afghanistan and took her family to Quetta, Pakistan. There she found a burning desire to educate her nation's children while they lived as refugees and without any backing or facilities opened a school.

Eight years on and Trust Sulha - my small non-profit organisation which began in 2006 - is going well and growing by the day. We support the education of Jamilla's students and the students of another fantastic woman, Rahema Sherzhad. Between them they have around 2,000 students.

Our motto is Peace Through Education.

If you want to know more about how Trust Sulha came to be then please click here to read a piece I wrote for the Safe World For Women website - thanks to them for their continued support.

One of the things I am most pleased about is that this week FOTS was created.
FOTS stands for Friends of Trust Sulha.
We are a committee of six (so far!) who aim simply to raise more and more money for Trust Sulha.

Scroll down to read about our students in their own words and you'll see why they deserve all the support we can give them.

Our first aim is to approximately double our fundraising to £5,000 per year so that we can apply for Charity Commission Status. This will make further fundraising easier.

Having FOTS means the world to me because sometimes there have been moments when there seemed to be so much to do for Trust Sulha that the huge list was overwhelming! Not that I've ever been completely alone. Family and friends support me wonderfully of course, we have some super kind supporters and some super kind strangers who help us too. But to have a group that meets regularly to share the jobs like event organising, creating partnerships between the schools in Pakistan and UK schools, applying for grants etc is magic.

I think that together, the FOTS can make more of a difference and I'll be posting about our progress here. If you want to help Trust Sulha in any way please email info@trustsulha.org.uk

This week is Refugee Week and next year we'll make sure that we organise a special event to highlight the situation for the world's displaced people (that was one of things that fell off my list!). But there are plenty of events going on, especially this one in London tomorrow (June 20th World Refugee Day)and simple acts you can do to show solidarity with people far from home.

But if you could just one thing now, please tell your friends about Trust Sulha. We are small and friendly, so do get in touch. Follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook. We'll be delighted to meet you...

Thanks, Marnie

Some work from our students

2010-03-10T15:59:00.004Z

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO GET A CLOSER LOOK...

This picture, below, is by Shoghula. She heard this story of a nine-year-old girl who was abducted, raped, then exchanged for a fighting dog in Kunduz. Obviously this terrible and frightening story made a big impression on Shoghula, who saw it on the news, which is why she has drawn this image.
Thanks Shoghula.

This picture, below, and accompanying text is by Saweeda. Saweeda wishes to see her country become a good place, which is why she drew this anti-heroin poster.
Thanks Saweeda.

This picture is from a young man, Asad. The picture shows how Afghan refugees are so poor and how, as they are going about their daily routines, they see Pakistani children going to schools and they feel so disappointed about their own lives.
Thanks Asad.

This, below, is by Ayesha.
Ayesha says she heard this story from her father and decided she wanted to write it down. In the future she wants to write more stories.
Thanks Ayesha!

In good news...

2010-03-10T15:44:00.002Z

...I have heard today that a friend is arranging a Quiz Night in aid of Trust Sulha at the end of April. Wow - thanks Emma!
Also that our annual fundraiser Dance For Peace will take place on October 2nd at the Playhouse Theatre, Whitstable.
It will be the third time we've put this show on with some fabulous local dance schools who kindly give their time. It's always an exciting and emotional night.
Pictures from last year's show will be uploaded soon, so keep coming back...

Update on registering as a charity

2010-03-10T15:24:00.003Z

After quite a bit of research, some phone calls and meetings, I am sorry to report that I feel it is unlikely that Trust Sulha will be able to apply to be registered by the Charity Commission - yet!
The reason for this, is that you have to have an annual income of £5,000 to apply.
Of course if anyone reading this has had a different experience and has applied successfully without reaching this threshold then I would love to hear from you via info@trustsulha.org.uk
I thought we just had to cross that £5,000 threshold once, hence my optimism! Sadly not.
Looking on the bright side though, this gives us a new goal - we have to get up to this amount. we have to raise £5,000 a year! And we all like goals don't we!
So I'm contacting our friends and supporters today to see if we can create a committee that can start looking into new avenues of funding.
One avenue which I feel is worth exploring would be that of getting UK schools involved and raising funds for specific classes - a sort of twinning between students here and students there.
I'm always shied away from this as I felt schools wouldn't want to get involved if we weren't a registered charity, but I'm throwing caution to the wind now. The worst that can happen is that they all say no - and then we'll only be in the same position as we are now, and no worse off...
After all, Jamilla and Rahema didn't know if it would work when they opened their schools, they just went for it. So in that spirit we shall do the same.
So! Onwards and upwards and if you know of a school that you think might like to get involved then please do contact us.
Also, please do contact us if you think you can undertake a monthly Standing Order to Trust Sulha. Just £2 per month would, over the course of a year, pay a teacher's salary for a month.

New Year - New Goals for Trust Sulha

2010-01-04T09:49:00.003Z

Happy New Year everyone!

Trust Sulha wishes all our students, teachers, their family and friends a good year - full of health, happiness, peace, joy and education.
Here in the UK, I have some New Year's resolutions for Trust Sulha...

1. To apply for full Charity Commission status and hopefully be successful
2. To fully utilise our Charity Commission status to raise more money and educate more young Afghan refugees in Pakistan
3. To produce our annual show Dance For Peace for the third year
4. To continue to publish the views and stories of our students here on our blog
5. To create partnerships between our students in Pakistan and students here in the UK - to increase understanding between these two groups of young people
6. To continue to use this blog and Twitter and other media to further understanding of the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan and what the future may hold

Keep checking back here to see how we are getting on with these resolutions and once agaon - Happy New Year everyone!

Afghan refugee children's thoughts on life and education

2009-11-22T13:01:00.012Z

Further to the news that due to increased violence in Pakistan, the Marnie Smith Middle School closed for a few days, we are very pleased to report that the schools are open once again. Rahema Sherzhad, the headmistress of the Marnie Smith Middle School and Jamilla Abassy, the headmistress of the Bakhtar Middle School have reassured Trust Sulha that everything is fine and that they are safe and well supported by the communities around them.

It was always the intention of the Trust Sulha founder, Marnie Summerfield Smith, that this new blog could become a place where the Afghan refugee students could speak to the world. So we are delighted that Silsila Abassy, (Jamilla's daughter), has been to Bakhtar Middle School to interview two students whose stories appear below. Thanks Silsila for all your hard work - much appreciated.

"My Name is Neak Mohammad and I am a student at the Bakhter Middle School.

Three years ago my father died of cancer. He had been ill for one year.

I have three sisters. One is very young, the other comes to school with me and my older sister works with my Mum preparing food and cleaning in people's houses.

Through this work my Mum and sister try to make things better for us. But of course the money isn't always enough so we have to adjust and make the best of things.

Sometimes when my Mum is ill, she cannot go to work. This means my sister cannot go either. On those days we are hungry and we go to sleep hungry.

All of us, especially my youngest sister wait patiently for my Mum to be well again, so that she can go to work and we can get something to eat. Sometimes our hopes come true and she does get well soon.

But sometimes our hopes do not come true and our Mum is ill for a long time.

I hope to complete my studies at the Bakhtar Middle School. But sometimes, when I see the condition of our house, my hungry sisters and my poorly Mum, I feel compelled to go out to work instead.

But what could I do? I am not strong enough to work very hard.

Our house is very, very far from our school but I have to travel this journey because the schools that are near my house all charge fees, which my family could not afford to pay.

At Bakhtar Middle School our fees are paid for by Trust Sulha. They also pay for the stationery that my sister and I need and also warm uniforms for us to wear.

We are so happy and thankful to Trust Sulha and everyone who helps them. We look forward to more help so that we can continue to study like other children do.

Thanks a lot Trust Sulha."

"My name is Sami Ullah. I am ten years old.

I am a student at the Bakhtar Middle School.

My Mum and Dad died in an accident on a very dark night. I was left alone with my four-year-old brother and my sisters who are 14 and 16.

It was too terrible to tolerate the dead bodies of our Mum and Dad because we knew that they were our guards, our life, our hopes, our parents, our relatives, our world and our everything.

Now we feel as if we have no arms or legs and we feel so alone.

We have lost our world, our hopes and all our happiness.

Since the accident I have not seen a smile on the faces of my brothers or sisters.

We just celebrated Eid here and although everyone was celebrating with their families, we had no-one. After 15 days, it was the biggest celebration of Eid and we didn't know what to do.

Every Eid my Dad would bring us new clothes and shoes. Now my little brother asks me where my Dad is and I have to tell him that Dad has died. Then he asks me where Mum is and I have to tell him that same answer.

Eid brings happiness for everyone but sadness for us.

When I think about losing my Mum and Dad, I feel that I want to leave my studies. Sometimes I even think that I want to leave this world.

But then I think about my sisters and my little brother and I am so confused about what we should all do.

I see other people with their Mums and Dads and I feel so alone.

One year ago I had a Mum and Dad but I lost them.

I don't know what I want to do but I know that I want to study. When I go to school I am a little bit happy, but when I go home and see the sad faces of my brother and sisters, I am unhappy again.

I want to study so much. In the future I would like to be a great personality and open a free school for orphans and help them as much as Trust Sulha helps us.

I want to be helpful to orphans.

Thank you Trust Sulha and Marnie and everyone who helps Trust Sulha."

Temporary School Closure due to violence

2009-10-24T10:15:00.003+01:00

Pakistan shut all schools, universities and student hostels indefinitely this week as the country braced itself for further attacks on soft targets after Tuesday’s suicide bombing at a university campus in Islamabad. Read the full story in The Times here.

This has affected the Marnie Smith Middle School run by Rahema Sherzhad. But in an email to trust founder Marnie Summerfield Smith, Rahema said she hoped school would open again on October 26th.

Trust Sulha sends it best wishes to all students in this testing time.

Dance For Peace 2009 raises £1218.76

2009-10-15T11:58:00.005+01:00

Excellent news! Dance For Peace 2009 raised £1218.76 - every penny of which will help to educate almost 2,000 Afghan refugee children in Quetta, Pakistan. This money will make an enormous difference to the lives of these hard-working and committed children, their supportive, kind families and wonderful, dedicated teachers. Thanks again to everyone who was involved, from the dancers to theatre volunteers and everyone who came to watch on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009. See you all next year!

Photo by David Vango - thanks David.

2009-10-07T14:13:00.004+01:00

Tonight on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm: Afghanistan: Is It Mission Impossible?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n3lbp

(45mins. Repeated this Saturday evening, 10th october 10.15pm to 11pm.)

As President Obama debates whether to send even more troops to the country, and the British death toll there rises, Eddie Mair chairs a debate at Chatham House in London about how close the west is to achieving its ambitions in Afghanistan.

What is its 'mission'? To close down terrorist cells in the country, making the UK a safer place? To introduce democracy, greater freedom for women, more electricity, water?

Taking part in the debate are:

Francesc Vendrell, who was the European Union's Special Representative for Afghanistan from 2002 to 2008; before that he was the Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan.

Brigadier Buster Howes, who is the Head of Overseas Operations at the MOD.

Eric Joyce, a former major in the army and now a Labour MP. He resigned as an aide to the defence secretary, calling on Gordon Brown to make clear to the British people that the Afghanistan campaign was 'time limited'.

Lindsey German, a senior organiser of the Stop the War Coalition.

Dr John Mackinlay, a counter-insurgency expert from King's College, London.

2009-10-06T16:54:00.004+01:00

At Dance For Peace 2009 photojournalist Justin Sutcliffe showed some really uplifting images of Skateistan. This is a project set up by three Australians to bring skateboarding to Afghan kids in the country's capital, Kabul. Here is a story that appeared on The Guardian newspaper's website about Skateistan and Skateistan's website - which has some fantastic images.

2009-10-05T23:25:00.007+01:00

Dance For Peace 2009, which took place on Saturday, October 3rd was a magnificent success. Two shows, a matinee and an evening performance took place at the Playhouse Theatre, Whitstable in Kent, UK and more than 160 people came along. The dancers, aged from four to 24 entertained the audiences with ballet, contemporary, street, jazz, Spanish and tap. The standard was outstanding and included a bit of breakdancing as well as singing and excerpts from Cinderella and the musical Fame - a real mixture. The dancers and their teachers were so wonderful to give up their time to raise funds for the students of Trust Sulha. Money was raised through ticket sales, programme sales, a raffle and donations at the end of the show.
We don't know how much we have raised yet, but we'll let you know...
As always, Trust Sulha founder and Dance For Peace creator Marnie Summerfield Smith started rehearsals with an explanation for the young performers about why young Afghans live as refugees in Pakistan and why they need our help to get an education.There was a fantastic atmosphere of generosity and comraderie all day and everyone said, "Can't wait until next year!" Definitely! Roll on Dance For Peace 2010.
As you may know, Dance For Peace was extremely lucky to have photojournalist Justin Sutcliffe as a guest to speak at both shows. As a winner of World Press Photo, it is more than accurate to describe Justin as one of the world's best photographers. He showed a series of images of the Afghanistan we don't normally get to see. And they were truly stunning. The audience was transfixed as well as fascinated by his knowledge. Thanks again to Justin for giving up his time Visit his website to see some of them and keep an eye for future exhibitions.
And as a little bonus to the dancers, we had photographer David Vango there to capture rehearsals. But during the performances, David was video-recording the shows. Fortunately Justin Sutcliffe was backstage throughout to capture some truly beautiful moments, both on stage and off. Trust Sulha can't wait to see those images and will be finding a way for the dancers to see them too.
A great day for everyone, but most importantly a day that raised funds for the Trust Sulha students who work so hard and deserve all the help we can give them.

2009-09-30T09:10:00.005+01:00

Pictures from the Marnie Smith Middle School in Quetta, Pakistan. Trust Sulha raises funds to help educate these children and give them hope of a different future - a peaceful future. Go students! You are inspiring!

Dance For Peace 2009

2009-09-29T12:17:00.002+01:00

Trust Sulha is very proud to announce that Dance For Peace 2009 will take place this Saturday - October 3rd.
It's the second year for the event. Dance For Peace 2008 raised almost £1,400 for Trust Sulha and was an emotional and exciting night for everyone involved. This year will be just as wonderful but we need your help to raise funds...
The not-to-be-missed show takes place at the Whitstable Playhouse. Click on the link to buy tickets for our matinee or evening performance - price start at £5.
Our fabulous dancers of all ages will be performing in styles from street and Spanish to ballet. The night will include excerpts from Fame, Cinderella and Michael Jackson's Thriller.
In addition, we have a very special guest - photojournalist Justin Sutcliffe - who will speak about his experiences in Afghanistan and show his very special images.
Email info@trustsulha.org.uk if you would like any more information.

About Trust Sulha

2009-09-28T22:30:00.004+01:00

Trust Sulha is a charitable organisation that was set up in 2006 by a journalist called Marnie Summerfield Smith. The trust supports the education of young Afghan refugees who live in Quetta, Pakistan.

This site is new today, Monday September 28th 2009, and it will take time for us to create links to our information and the history of what the trust has achieved so far. If you can't find what you need here, the please email info@trustsulha.org.uk

Trust Sulha came about after Marnie visited the Afghan refugee camps of Pakistan in 2002.

Some of the Afghans had been there more than 20 years, having fled after the Soviet Union invaded.Others had arrived more recently for various reasons.

In Quetta, Marnie met Jamilla Abassy, a refugee. Jamilla was not a teacher when she arrived in Quetta in 1992, but she was so upset at seeing children rummage in rubbish for things to sell, that she decided they needed a school, and she opened one for boys and girls.
“Change will never come in the lives of Afghan people unless our women are educated,” said Jamilla. “A woman is the bearer of a whole generation.”

Jamilla believes that education will bring hope, opportunity, and therefore peace to Afghanistan.

“Rations, oil, money, all these things will finish one day. If someone really wants to help us, please educate our people. Spend your money on education, buy us books, provide us with schools, and we'll never be a burden again.”

Marnie also met one of Jamilla’s teachers, Rahema Sherzhad. A few years later, Rahema opened the Marnie Smith Middle School. Shortly after that Marnie set up Trust Sulha to help Rahema and Jamilla, choosing the word Sulha, which means peace in Dari, one of the Afghan languages, to reflect their belief that education will bring peace.

Between them, Jamilla and Rahema are now educating almost 2,000 children and young people.

So far, Trust Sulha supporters have bought seating, desks, uniforms, stationery, and paid for rent, electricity, heating and staff salaries, including teachers and security staff.

Two weeks ago, Trust Sulha received a letter from Marnie Smith Middle School student Suhela, who is 14. Suhela wrote, “My father was killed in Afghanistan and our lives were in trouble. We are refugees in Pakistan. I live with my four sisters and two brothers. My brothers are too young to work but my mother and my sisters work in handicrafts and tailoring. I am proud to get an education at the Marnie Smith Middle School. I want to be a mathematics teacher so I can serve my country.”