Hello Everyone!

Great news?. In June 2004, Tom Grams DDS, from Durango, Colorado, visited our project in Afghanistan to deliver desperately needed dental services to the school children and village! He will be traveling to Wardak, Afghanistan again this April for four weeks. Dr. Grams left a portable dental clinic last year and is helping us establish a system of rotating dentists who would volunteer their time and expertise to the project.

He is funding his own travel and purchasing many dental supplies for his trip. We need your help to help make this trip successful. The best way to help is to donate funds for Tom to purchase toothbrushes in Afghanistan, or to fund a week of fuel for the dental generator. The village we work in has no electricity, therefore, the most expensive part of the dental clinic is the running of the generator. It costs at least $300 a week for the fuel. Our goal is to find dental offices willing to support one week of Tom's dental services. We would include your office name on our web site, and provide you with photos when Tom returns. If anyone would like to help Dr. Grams, or can pass this letter on to his or her dentist for donations, it would be very helpful! He will be leaving on April 22nd.

Please call me (734- 762-0569) if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Khris Nedam
US Executive Director, Kids 4 Afghan Kids


A few supplies that Tom can take with him (we need to mail to him at the end of March) are:

  • 4 ultrasonic tips for our 2 Parkell Turbosensor ultrasonic scalers - about $100 each.
  • Children's toothbrushes - we have over 1200 students with more sisters and brothers at home.
  • Expired or non-expired anesthetic.


PROJECT PROFILE

Kids 4 Afghan Kids (K4AK) is a profile in hope and a model for effective collaboration and mutual respect between U.S. and Afghan leaders. What started as a dream for 6th grade students in Michigan in 1998 has become a reality for children and families half a world away-- education, health care, and clean water for over 1,000 children and their families! K4AK reaches out to make a better world for a group of Afghan children willing to overcome tremendous obstacles to make better lives for themselves and their rural village.

U.S. school children raised enough money to build an elementary school, health clinic, bakery, guest house, deep water well, and orphanage. This rural valley had been without a school or health clinic since the Soviet invasion more than 20 years ago.

Participation has grown to several schools across many states. Volunteers continue to reach out to other sponsors and sustaining donors, including local churches and business organizations. We have also received support from larger organizations such as UNICEF, Hope Worldwide, International Medical Corps, and Direct Relief.

School enrollment started with 465 students (25 girls attended with Taliban approval) in March 2001 and, in March 2004, grew to 1,200 students in 1st-8th grade? with 580 girls! The health clinic provides medical care to 100-150 patients each day. All school children have been immunized against polio and measles, and many receive daily vitamins and treatment for vitamin A deficiency. Last year, 258 babies were born with the help of the midwife or female MD.

The Kids 4 Afghan Kids School Project has received positive recognition, with stories in the Detroit News, ABC News, 20/20 Downtown, and Newsweek Magazine. In addition, the project received honors and endorsements from several local and national organizations, including: The Center for International Disaster Information, State of Michigan Governor’s Service Award, the Michigan Association of School Boards Education Excellence Award, and the Paul Harris Fellow Rotary Award.

Your tax-deductible cash donation can make a big difference in the lives of these children and their village in this remote part of the world. 100% of donations go to Afghanistan.

Please join us in making a better world… one village at a time.