Hamed Wardak News » USA for UNHCR

An Afghan Refugee Wants to Return Home

admink — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:57:55 +0000

Although Anaar Gul has never seen his motherland, he has desires to go back to Afghanistan. Even though Anaar was born and raised in Pakistan he feels the time is right to return home. Regardless of his reservations about leaving his birthplace, Anaar is extremely excited to return to where his ancestors are from. He describes hearing stories from his elders and is excited to experience those things for himself.

This decision did not come easy to the 27 year old. Gul talked with UNHCR staff about the current and possible future conditions of his hometown in the southern Helmand province. According to the UNHCR, his hometown now offers work doing road construction for 600 rupees. “Our relatives tell us that we can earn 600 rupees (US $8) a day in road construction work. That is enough to enable us to spend a decent life in our own country,” he said. This amount is a huge increases from 200 rupees that he and his father currently get paid. This pay increase makes the decision to move all the more enticing. Anaar wants a future for his wife and daughter and thinks with his homeland now in repair he can finally provide a proper home for his family.

Afghan Miners Get Another Chance

admink — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:55:33 +0000

Hadi, who is part of a group of refugee miners working in the cramped quarters, never imagined himself in this line of work. As a child, Hadi, who is now 38, pictured himself in a white coat walking down the halls of a hospital healing the wounded. However, when he was 17 things changed because his father became ill and couldn’t afford to take care of his family anymore forcing Hadi to quit school and look for work. “I looked around for work when I left school, and the only available choice was to work in the mines because there were no other opportunities.”

The mine, which is located by a refugee camp in the remote province of Balochistan in Pakistan, has workers digging for chromate, which is used in steel production. Even though the conditions of the work aren’t ideal, Hadi has no complaints. He is able to send his older son to a better school outside of the refugee camp in hopes that he will have the opportunities to become a doctor. Hadi misses his country but is happy his family was able to find sanctuary during the 1979 Soviet invasion.

Ludus Athletics Joins Forces with the US Association for UNHCR

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:18:53 +0000

Last year, on January 12th, Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. One year later, to the day, Ludus Athletics and the U.S. Association for UNHCR joined forces with hopes to aid refugees everywhere. The beginning of this project was celebrated at an event in LA, at the glamorous Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.

One of the event initiators, Hamed Wardak, explained that his company, Ludus Athletics “brought the United Nations Refugee Agency to Los Angeles for the first time to launch Ludus Athletics because LA is more socially concerned and athletic, and we wanted to raise awareness for the ongoing plight of Pakistan flood victims, particularly Afghans.”

Mike McTernan, UNHCR’s Face to Face project manager has arranged for them to stay in LA, and offices are currently being set up in Koreatown.

Hamed Wardak & World Refugee Day

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:33:14 +0000

Each year on World Refugee Day, USA for UNHCR raises awareness by bringing together important supporters of refugee relief. This year, the events were held from June 18^th-20^th with the theme “Home” and included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr, former refugees and UNHCR field staff.

World Refugee Day will enable refugees to find new homes and new futures by helping them to resettle, repatriate and integrate back into society.

Hamed Wardak explained, “The work and support provided by UNHCR is essential to refugees in Afghanistan and worldwide. I continue to sponsor UNHCR’s events like World Refugee Day and get involved in their work because the refugee women, who are the most disadvantaged group in Afghanistan, need our help.”

Angelina Jolie Giving to Refugees in Afghanistan

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 09:22:40 +0000

Girls in Tangi, Afghanistan have reason to celebrate right now. Angelina Jolie, the famous UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, recently provided $75,000 in Tangi to help build a school for girls. Featuring eight classrooms, four administration buildings, a well and eight latrines, the school will educate up to 800 girls in two shifts.

One girl, Laila, a 14 year old who recently returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, said, “I always had hopes and dreams of going to school. The hope to become a qualified teacher has revived in me.” In Tangi, there are three settlements that gather together approximately 7,800 people who have returned from Pakistan over the last five years. With the help of UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies, most of these families intend to have a fresh start in Nangarhar.

Other activities and leaders such as Hamed Wardak have similarly contributed time and money to UNHCR to help refugees to return to Afghanistan and to start to rebuild their lives.