By Hal Myers
Happy New Year!
2012 promises to be an exciting year for AAS, as we embark in earnest on fulfilling the vision of building a high-quality medical services facility in Herat, Afghanistan, and of expanding our existing commitment to improving access to education and healthcare for the underserved in Herat and its outlying region.
To usher in the year, we’re launching what will become a serialized narrative on Afghan Amity Society and its historical efforts in bringing the seeds of hope to fruition for the past 11 years. The organization’s projects in Herat have leveraged the strong personal and professional ties of AAS Chairman Sadiq Tawfiq, who became a U.S. citizen following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. Since that time, Sadiq has devoted considerable resources to supporting the people of a city that was once at the intersection of ancient caravan routes and ruled by Alexander the Great.
That goes a little further back than we intend for this blog, but nevertheless provides historical context for the modern-day humanitarian needs in this part of the world. But let’s allow Tammy Lechner to begin telling the story in the next blog article.
By way of introduction, Tammy is an accomplished photojournalist and formerly on the staff of the Los Angeles Times. During a career that spans more than 30 years in journalism, Tammy has authored newspaper articles, magazine pieces and books. A longtime resident of Laguna Beach, California, where AAS is headquartered, and a lifetime Chicago Cubs fan (we love someone who loves an underdog!), Tammy has embarked on a yearlong literary field project that will focus on AAS as part of her MFA candidacy in creative non-fiction with Antioch University Los Angeles.
The program requires students to connect the study of literature, the craft of writing and/or the teaching of writing to a project involving community engagement and, ideally, promoting social justice, with a focus on the underserved or disadvantaged in society. For AAS, this is a perfect fit, and we’re blessed that Tammy will bring greater clarity to the organization through the lens of a required MFA project and her photojournalism experience.
Our plan: During the next 12 months, articles related to the organization’s mission will be posted in segments that are written by Tammy, with an opportunity for you, the reader, to comment on articles and participate in the dialog on improving living conditions in this war-torn part of the world. There is much to be said about the history of AAS, let alone that of Afghanistan; there is much more to be done. We hope you’ll be a part of the “diablog” on building solutions that support both the construction of a community healthcare facility and the building of a better global community in which everyone plays a critical role.
Learn more about Tammy Lechner and Adrienne Helitzer at STILL Productions, and preview Tammy’s journey through 15 years with the Cubs.
