Dear all

I am fundraising for Action for Orphans by doing a sponsored 24 hour silence on Saturday 10 December 2011.

Action for Orphans was set up in response to the devastating earthquake that hit the city of Bam, in South Eastern Iran, in December 2003.

The earthquake killed an estimated 41,000 people. Seventy-five thousand were left homeless and 3,000 children were orphaned.
I found out about this charity through a university event – and I always wanted to go and visit the orphanage. Finally, during a summer visit to Iran, I decided to travel to Bam and go and see the children for myself.

I would like to share my personal experience with you. Please read details of my visit below:

Meeting the Children

Day 1
"I get off a taxi that’s just dropped me from Kerman Airport, stopping outside a house with a big blue door…. A lady greets me and takes me inside…we pass through the backyard and get to another door…my heart is beating….as I’m taking my shoes off I see around 40 pairs of little eyes staring at me…all in different heights.....all I can do is smile...
The kids start coming up to me, I hear: “salam..my name is Zahra…salam, my name is Parisa…salam I’m Hassan…do you want to sit next to me?”…
I take a seat on the chair and a little girl sits on my lap…she starts fiddling with my bracelet and says: what’s this? And suddenly, all the kids gather around me.
Why did I have to be so stupid to wear a bracelet? I take it off… I want to give it to the little girl, but what about the rest? I put it in my pocket with embarrassment…
Then I see a little boy, running with one of my sandals and sunglasses to show them to someone else – Again I feel so ashamed for wearing such things....Fariba (one of the carers) takes it off him and hides them in a black bag.

Night 1
I decide to cancel the hotel room and stay the night in the orphanage… At around 10pm the kids start helping to get me bedding to sleep on the floor in the living room….most of the kids want to sleep next to me…some of them come up to me and ask for permission… only 5 could fit in that room though…the lights turn off …one by one they finally fall asleep….
I don’t sleep.
I stay up with Fariba and we talk.
I stay up and listen….
I hear moaning – Fariba says its’s Zahra (a 6 year old girl), moaning, she has bruises, scars and cigarette burns all over her arms…they brought her in a week ago, her parents died in the earthquake and she was left with her abusive uncle who was a heroin addict – they managed to save her in time.
I don’t sleep… I stay up and listen to one of the kids scream “Maman...” all night….
I don’t sleep… I stay up with Fariba to take Fatemeh (a 4 year old girl) back to bed when she sleep walks….
I don’t sleep… Fariba doesn’t sleep….

Day 2
It’s around 4pm and the kids are playing in the backyard…Fariba says it’s fruit time! I go to the kitchen to help out… There are 10 apples in total and we cut each apple in 4! Every child gets a quarter of an apple and 1 cherry! Just one cherry!
Hassan (a 5 year old boy) comes up to me and says: “khale Ida, do you want my piece?” (khale = auntie)

Day 3
It’s the day I’m leaving…It was only 3 days, but I feel like I have a lifetime of attachment to these kids…I don’t want to leave….all I can hear is “Khale Ida, don’t go” Hassan cries, Parisa cries…Fatemeh cries…Ali cries…I cry…even Fariba is crying now…They’re all at the door watching me… who do I hug first? who do I hug last? how do I say bye? what do I say to them? When will I come back? - I don’t know.

 
All I can do is smile again….”

BUT WITH YOUR HELP – I CAN DO A LOT MORE

Please make a donation… no matter how small it is, it will be enough to provide the orphanage with AT LEAST one extra apple a day! And if we raise enough money it could even help them to take on more orphans and save more children.

I would like to raise money for this Charity before 7 January 2012.

This is in the memory of my mother Hamideh Navadeh, who passed away 7 January last year.

http://www.actionfororphans.org.uk/

Thank you

Ida