Programs and Objectives

Marastoon

PARSA is located on the Kabul site of the old "Marastoon" system of social support. Translated as "the place that gives help", Marastoon has 176 disabled, widows and children as residents. Forty of the residents are severely mentally disabled. PARSA is working together with the Afghan Red Crescent Society staff to turn this institution into a model for Afghan "safety net" programs with support to assist vulnerable Afghans as they rebuild their lives and reintegrate into their communities. Programs include psychosocial and social work training for the staff. Economic programs for the residents facilitate their transition by paying them wages, but putting their wages into a savings account for when they leave the Marastoon.

Afghan National Orphanages

PARSA is leading a community wide informal network of NGO’s and donors who are working with the Afghan Director of Orphanages to create a model orphanage and to assist the Afghan government as they attempt to bring about change. PARSA’s programs focus in two orphanages and we work with the most vulnerable children, training staff how to assist them and facilitating a pen pal program that is the basis for a dynamic supplemental education program for the children we work with.

The Hazarajat

Populated by an ethnic minority, the Hazara, PARSA is starting a village schools program for 18 small villages in this very underserved province. Hazaras were traditionally persecuted for religious differences and experienced a tremendous amount of damage during the wars. The Village Community Schools will work with war widows and girls who are not able to travel the long distances to public school. PARSA will provide literacy courses along with economic programs designed for rural women such as the Widows Garden and training for artisans.