1. BUILDING HEALTHY AFGHAN COMMUNITIES PARSA

2. Founded in 1996, PARSA is a private non-governmental organization working directly with the disadvantaged people of Afghanistan. PARSA supports communities as they make their own development solutions, focusing on promoting social change and a healthy and fair society for all people but especially women and children. PARSA Building Healthy Afghan Communities MISSION STATEMENT:

3. OUR HISTORY Founded as: “Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan” we are now known as PARSA Founders: Mary McMakin, Yasin Farid, Palwasha Madomi Original work focused on physiotherapy and help for disabled Afghans, widows and orphans Marnie Gustavson became Executive Director in 2005 PARSA has evolved into a dynamic organization with a community-based approach to development

4. PARSA Today PARSA Focuses on: Developing Local Ownership for Building Healthy Afghan Communities

5. PARSA Approach We asked ourselves and our beneficiaries: What makes a community healthy? Our Answers: Family and community are cared for and there is no violence. Everyone has human rights. Children are confident, creative, love Allah and are valued. Each adult has access to ways to make money to sustain their family. Our village is clean and free of disease. Our animals are healthy. We are honest and support each other in the time-honored Afghan way.

6. PARSA Approach We enter a new community and focus on one of the three aspects necessary for Building Healthy Afghan Communities: Building Economies for Women Building Youth Leadership Building Healthy Families

7. Building Economies for Women: Trade Afghan and PARSA’s Women’s Economic Programs Our women’s programs give the highly skilled women of Afghanistan the ability to become breadwinners for their families and earn respect in their communities. Trade Afghan Women’s Businesses is a network of businesswomen from across the country who have joined together to be part of the Trade Afghan product line. Our other economic programs also support women in product development, skills training and agriculture.

8. Building Youth Leadership: PARSA’s Afghan Scouts and Voice of Afghan Youth PARSA believes strongly in the importance of developing strong, educated leaders who will play important roles in the future of their country. PARSA’s Afghan Scouts have over 1800 Scouts in 12 provinces that engage in leadership training, civil service, and more. Voice of Afghan Youth is a new TV and radio program that will showcase the talents of Afghan youth.

9. Building Healthy Families: Psychosocial Programs Afghanistan has seen conflict for thirty years and the resulting psychological trauma runs deep. PARSA’s psychosocial programs train Afghan psychosocial professionals in how to respond to the needs of patients with traumatic backgrounds, such as those living in battered women’s shelters, orphanages and refuge camps.

10. Where PARSA Operates PARSA operates in communities in 12 provinces. Sometimes our programs are province-wide, sometimes in very specific locations.

11. Community-Based Approach Exploring our PARSA approach via case studies of select communities we work in: Dost-i-Barchi, Kabul Bamiyan Government Orphanages Shamsa Village Orphanage, Kabul Marastoon, Kabul Battered Women’s Shelters Faizabad

12. Case #1: Dost-i-Barchi Group of Kabul women who organize their own cooperative and request support from PARSA when necessary, such as: Supplying a teacher for a literacy course Providing training in embroidery etc. Helping to find markets for women- made products Providing jobs for women who work on the PARSA Farm Women’s Economic Program

13. Case #2: Bamiyan Trade Afghan, Afghan Scouts One of PARSA’s longest standing partner-communities and the heart of the women’s economic programs. Currently 180 women enrolled in Trade Afghan PARSA supports the women in materials and training for economic activities, provides a plot of land for farming, and a location for their women’s center Working in the cave communities Over 220 Scouts registered province- wide, 8 Scout Masters trained

14. Case #3: Government Orphanages Afghan Scouts, Psychosocial PARSA has a long history of work in the government run orphanages, including: Advocating for improved conditions in orphanages nation wide Establishing Scout Troops in 5 orphanages, with 40% girls enrolled Providing psychosocial and social work training to orphanage caregivers Voice of Afghan Youth will work with orphanages where Scout Troops are established to showcase the positive aspects of the children’s lives

15. Case #4: Shamsa Village Orphanage Afghan Scouts, Psychosocial PARSA worked to help establish Shamsa as a model, private Kabul orphanage based on the “SOS Children’s Village” model: Providing psychosocial training to the orphanage “mothers” Monthly activity days at Marastoon for the children Establishment of a Scout Troop Working with partner organizations to improve conditions in the orphanage.

16. Case #5: Marastoon Women’s Economic, Afghan Scouts Location of PARSA’s main offices: PARSA tailor shop and gift shop Friday brunches for the Kabul community Afghan Scouts troops and main Scout building where events are held PARSA Farm – agricultural training for women, selling of fresh milk, produce and eggs

17. Case #6: Women’s Shelters Psychosocial, Women’s Economic Battered Women’s Shelters in Kabul are an incredibly important refuge for women escaping abuse: PARSA provides psychosocial training to the caregivers working in the shelters in three regions Trains women in basic skills, such as making jam or fudge, so that they can earn a small income via our Trade Afghan program

18. Case #7: Faizabad Psychosocial, Women’s Economics PARSA has worked in Badakhshan in the past and decided to restart our program there after the Argo landslide of 2014 Supporting psychosocial efforts for the families of Argo landslide victims Launching a province-wide branch of Trade Afghan Scout Troops established in the National Orphanage Focus province for Voice of Afghan Youth

19. Community-Based Approach PARSA may seem overwhelming because there is so much variety in the work what we do. We have realized that being flexible with our programs in a way that suits the unique needs of each community is much more effective than trying to implement a single rigid program across a range of diverse communities. Complexity in program structure is a requirement of a community-based approach to development. And our approach works.

20. www.afghanistan-parsa.org Red Crescent Compound, Marastoon, Afshar, Kabul contact@afghanistan-parsa.org Marnie Gustavson: +93(0)799 020 588 PARSA Building Healthy Afghan Communities CONTACT PARSA: