Nooristan Foundation Receives Support from Hamed Wardak

The Nooristan Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that provides support for charitable and educational projects in rural areas of Afghanistan. Each spring, they host an annual gala. The gala this year, entitled “An Evening of Hope to Benefit Afghanistan” will take place at the residence of His Excellency the Ambassador of France Pierre Vimont in Washington, D.C.

In a show of support, Hamed Wardak, has just contributed $20,000 and has become a Gold Sponsor of the Nooristan Foundation’s Gala. His support will help a village school and a midwife training program, while also helping the livelihoods of displaced people in three different areas of the country.

Building Up Afghanistan

Today, efforts are being made in Afghanistan to build up the country, with a special emphasis on constructing more much needed educational centers. Hamed Wardak is an Afghan-American who has been seeking to improve conditions for the people of Afghanistan for many years. Local land owners - in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – banded together to create an additional five school buildings for the country’s southwestern province of Nimroz. UNICEF donated $350,000 to the project. What this means for those children who will be direct beneficiaries of this project is being able to study in a building, rather than a tent. The schools will be available for both boys and girls.

Hamed Wardak and Great Afghanistan Developments

Hamed Wardak seeks to improve the quality of life for the people of Afghanistan. He is the founding vice president of the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce and works hard to “generate local employment” in the region. The latest construction in Afghanistan in the Gusfandi and Sancharak districts of the country’s northern province of Sar-e-Pol will make a great asset to Afghanistan.

The most recent construction to hit this region in Afghanistan comprises a staggering 27 water pump wells; 2 water reservoirs; 18 km of road; 41 small bridges; 500 m of supportive walls against flash foods and 2 flour mills. In addition to this, a program for the use of 19 women for tailor training was developed in the same area. What is great about all these projects is that around 5,000 families in Afghanistan will be able to benefit from them.

Afghanistan’s Economy and Hamed Wardak

According to the World Bank, things are looking up for the economy of Afghanistan. Individuals such as Hamed Wardak, who work continuously toward the betterment of the quality of life for the people of Afghanistan, would be very happy to hear this news. For example, there has been an escalation of GDP between 2009-10, higher than ever since 2003, at a record 22.5%. As well, domestic revenues during the same time frame increased a staggering 53% from 2008-09. The production of wheat almost doubled compared to the last five years, and mining is booming. What will also please Afghan activists like Hamed Wardak and the Afghanistanian people is that inflation in the country is extremely low.

Afghanistan’s Economic Future and Hamed Wardak

Of course, current news on Afghanistan’s economy is all well and good, but those working for the continued betterment of the country want to know what the future looks like. Thankfully, the World Bank predicts that Afghanistan’s economic future looks bright too. GDP for 2010-11 is predicted to be just over 8% and inflation, just under 5% even though disinflation seems to be at a halt. As well, the boom in mining will continue and cereal production prospects look good. So this kind of news is great for the people of Afghanistan, and for activists such as Hamed Wardak.

Hamed Wardak and Afghan Cricket

Hamed Wardak is someone who is always looking towards improving the quality of life for the people of Afghanistan. As such, any venture that supports education for its youth, would be a welcome one. Currently, the region’s cricket team is selling cricket jerseys through a website which is great. But what is interesting to a man like Hamed Wardak is that the money that will be raised from the sale of these jerseys is going towards constructing a school in the village of each cricket player. The origins behind this idea came from Mohamed Nabi, one of the team’s star players,“an all rounder who can bat consecutive 6’s.” Clearly therefore, as well as being great on the field, Nabi, like Wardak, is trying to find ways to better the lives of the Afghan people, from an early age, via a good education.

Hamed Wardak and Education

Hamed Wardak is also extremely supportive of ventures which work towards the betterment of people’s lives in Afghanistan, might well have something in common with the cricket’s team’s ex-middle order batsman. Raees Ahmadza, is, “committed to education for boys and girls. He is hoping to build a school for girls, as there currently isn’t one, as well as develop the girls cricket team in his village.”

Hamed Wardak and Merrill Lynch

When he first began what has now become a very successful business career, Hamed Wardak worked at Merrill Lynch in different states of America. At the time, Wardak was given multi-million dollar assignments at the company. Today, Merrill Lynch enjoys success not just as a business, but also working with other organizations to try to make advancements in important areas such as health care. For example, the company recently is due to hold their Health Care Conference, with participants such as CONMED Corporation. This Corporation works with surgical devices within the medical technology area.

Wardak and Health Care

Someone like Hamed Wardak would be only too pleased with exciting new projects like this. Such a joint venture between a high-end financial management company and a medical tech company can only be beneficial to everyone involved.

Afghanistan-American Meeting

On Tuesday, May 11th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened key talks with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the White House. While the two nations have had recent disputes, Clinton emphasized that the United States is committed to helping Afghanistan and that they will continue to support Afghanistan long after U.S. combat troops have withdrawn from the region. This is certainly positive news for Afghan-American leaders like Hamed Wardak and the many others who have been pressing for improved relations between the two nations.

President Obama is expected to meet with President Karzai today, Wednesday, May 12th, to continue the talks.