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Afghan kids get a break from worries, war-torn lives
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Published: July 10, 2009
As dozens of kids munched colorful cupcakes and dove into the deep quarry at Carrigan Farms on Tuesday, the geographical, medical and social differences between them mattered little.
For that one day – and many others to come in the next four weeks – the 34 Afghan children visiting the Lake Norman area with the nonprofit Solace for the Children weren't separated by their hearing difficulties, vision problems or other medical concerns.
They were just kids having fun.
"She likes it here. She's not homesick at all," said an interpreter for eight-year-old Spugmai, who is staying with the Canipe family of Huntersville for her second summer and being treated for two ruptured eardrums.
Although all of the children are primarily here for medical attention, the six-week program allows the youngsters to live with an American host family and experience a life much different than what they are growing up with in war-torn Afghanistan.
"The more different Americans they can see reaching out a hand of friendship, the more difference we'll make in Afghanistan," said Patsy Wilson, summer coordinator and member of Solace for the Children.
Echoing the organization's motto, "Building peace on a foundation of health," Wilson explained that children from assorted tribes, religions and sects of Afghanistan are chosen for the program to help bring peace among youth who would otherwise be enemies.
She said the kids "drop" any name that would culturally identify them in their home country and several "peace-making activities" are planned throughout their six-week stay, including Tuesday's swimming and picnic at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville.
Wilson noted that creating peace among the children – kids who, she noted, often become best friends by the end of their American adventure – could eventually help foster peace not only within Afghanistan, but between that country and the United States.
And although that remains a goal of the organization, medically aiding these children remains at the forefront.
Most often, the children have medical ailments that cannot be adequately nursed or repaired in their homeland, such as genetic disorders, eyesight issues, hearing loss and some severe injuries resulting from the ongoing war.
While in America, each child receives a medical examination as well as dental and optical screening. Depending on any existing or known health issues, the child may also visit a medical specialist and often obtains any follow-up treatments that are necessary in their six-week visit.
The majority of these medical expenses, said Wilson, are donated by local health professionals in and around the Mooresville and Charlotte communities.
Other costs – travel expenditures, payment for interpreters, passport and visa charges and non-donated medical rates – are funded by donations and sponsors.
Formerly known as Lake Norman Children's Relief, Wilson said the regional program began in 1996, medically assisting Belarusian kids affected by the Chernobyl disaster. As fewer children required medical attention in the U.S., Wilson said the organization turned its focus to Afghanistan in 2006, while still lending a hand in Belarus.
This year, she said, is the first year with solely Afghan children. They arrived June 23 and will return in early August.
Additionally, with hopes of expanding into a national nonprofit, the organization changed its name earlier this year to Solace for the Children.
Whether it's traveling to doctor appointments with the kids or taking them to an amusement park, Wilson said the lives of the host families will be forever changed as a result of this experience, as with the lives of those children they take in with open arms.
And for Elise Canipe who is hosting Spugmai for a second year, that's certainly true.
"I can't imagine going halfway across the world and staying with people I don't know," Canipe said Tuesday, calling the program a learning experience in bravery for the children.
After bidding Spugmai goodbye last summer, following several weeks of screening to determine the source of her hearing troubles, Canipe said she happily welcomed the young girl back so her eardrums could be repaired.
Lynn Hogenson Anderson of Mooresville is participating in the program for the first time this summer and said her experiences thus far with four-year-old Haroon have already made her eager to host another Afghan child next year.
"They're here medically, but if it brings an ounce of peace, it's worth it," she said Tuesday as Haroon ate the green frosting off a vanilla cupcake.
Haroon has severe optic nerve damage, and Anderson said Solace for the Children could be the child's only opportunity to repair his vision.
Already the mother of three girls, Jackie Marquardt said she has "felt so blessed by (the) presence" of 10-year-old Arghawon.
"She gets a little homesick, but what child wouldn't?" said Marquardt of Mooresville who is acting as a host for the first time.
The six-week visit, she added, is allowing her own children to experience something unique, which provides great lessons in culture and selflessness.
"I want my children to have a little taste of the other side of the world, a life completely different than their lives," she said.
And although language boundaries do exist between the Afghan and American children, Wilson said that hasn't prevented them from playing together and sharing stories.
That was evident Tuesday as kids separated by much more than miles bonded over adventurous rock climbing, leaps into the quarry and scrumptious lunchtime snacks.
"You can't have a relationship with these children and not be changed," added Wilson. "You are changed once you take in an Afghan child. They are changed."
For more information on Solace for the Children or to donate or become a sponsor for future summer programs, visit www.solaceforthechildren.org
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