Abdul’s children play around the family’s small house in Istalif as their father carefully examines the delicate buds of the five new fruit trees they received from Operation Blessing in April. The Afghan man, his wife, children and neighbors have all paid a high price for the peace they now feel. See how they survived years of war and captivity. Get a taste of how OBI is now helping them rebuild their futures.

Almost eight years ago the Taliban threw Abdul and his brother into prison. They don’t know why. For the next six years, the two shared a filthy Afghan prison cell with more than 100 other men. Often beaten close to death, prisoners counted themselves lucky when they received scraps of food.

Meanwhile, Abdul’s young wife and children fled their home in Istalif, traveling four days over mountainous terrain to Iran. They lived in tents and lived off the mercy of humanitarian organizations for food and water. When not tending to the children, the determined woman searched the cities and asked everyone for news of what prison her husband might be in. When she found the place, the brothers were unrecognizable. Bribing guards was the only way Abdul’s wife could get bread to them.

Thankfully, the nightmare ended when the Taliban was removed from power. Reunited, Abdul’s family journeyed back to Istalif. They were speechless by what awaited them. Their home, orchard and small shop had been torched. For the next few nights the family slept at the mosque. No money. No food. What was going to happen?

Abdul recalled, “We heard that an organization had come to distribute the food packages. Walking for 45 minutes my wife and I were there early to make sure not to miss out, but there were more than 500 people ahead of us.

“Operation Blessing came to our cry for help. We were given food packages that gave us the strength to rebuild our homes. A few days later Operation Blessing came with a team of doctors and took care of the medical needs of our village and family. I am not sure what we would have done without Operation Blessing. They helped us to get back on our own feet. My daughter is suffering from Leshmaniasis (infected sand fly bites), and they gave her the proper treatment that we could not afford.

“Again, today you have given my family a package of food. My family and I are very grateful for what you have done for us and the people of Istalif.”

Over the last year-and-a-half, thousands in Istalif families have benefited from the generosity of Operation Blessing’s partners. In late April, the work continued as 1,500 families received food packages and a medical team saw 1,000 patients.

The rebuilding isn’t done. Your gift of $20 or more could feed a family for a month or help a child’s health care needs. Thank you for joining with us to aid the Afghan people.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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