Joanna Francis (Australia)
In October 2002, War Child Australia
was excited to announce that Melbourne woman Joanna Francis
was heading to Herat, Afghanistan to work for War Child.
Joanna took up her position in November 2002 and was in Afghanistan
for about a year, working on a variety of projects including
the development of a kindergarten, a community farming project
for the women of Herat, a survey and provision of equipment
to eight orphanages across Afghanistan, and more. Here are
some photographs of her time in Afghanistan. Thanks to Joanna for permission to reproduce these photos.
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Joanna and Sejno, one of the young girls in the farm's childcare facility. |
The early stages of War Child's farm project, before the Spring and the produce that came with it. |
Women in their blue burkas line up for their monthly distribution of wheat and oil at the farm. |
Some of the women and children are picked up each day by our truck, including the woman sitting next to me here who is blind. |
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Very excited boys living in the IDP (internally displaced persons) camp at Maslak in Herat. |
Children living at Maslak IDP camp. |
Herat's minarets rise through the haze over the city. |
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The view of Herat from my roof. |
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Alex Ross (New Zealand)
New Zealander Alex Ross took up
a position with War Child in Iraq, starting early October
2003.
While we know this is not strictly “War Child Australia”
news, in the fine tradition of Australia claiming great and
famous New Zealanders as its own (think Russell Crowe, Crowded
House…), we’d like to announce Alex's news here
and keep you up to date with her progress during her time
in Iraq. We also congratulate Alex on joining War Child and
wish her every success.
Alex is 29 and grew up on New Zealand’s Coromandel
Peninsula. After studying at Auckland University, she completed
postgraduate extramural studies through Massey University,
also in New Zealand. She has worked in New Zealand on high
risk recidivist youth offender rehabilitation programmes,
and in the Dominican Republic and Haiti with orphaned children,
children with disabilities, and street kids.
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