Hamed Wardak News

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.

With US Forces Slowly Withdrawing, An Afghan Soldier Shines

admink — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:02:23 +0000

Many American Armed forces are skeptical about how the Afghan National Army will be able to handle the country when they leave. Many soldiers scoff at the idea and have no faith in the ANA, but those who have worked with Lt. Ahmaduddin Ahmad see that there is hope. When Lt. Ahmad walks by American soldiers give him a nod of respect that they only reserve for their own.

When Ahmad marches with his men he is the only one who doesn’t carry a rifle or wear armor. He is known for searching out IED’s, many that even the canine units oversee, and disarming them with his bare hands. He charges toward insurgents who are armed with rocket launchers without blinking an eye. “I get scared like everyone else,” he says. “But all I can do is my best. Whatever I’m doing, whatever my duty is, I want to do it right. And a soldier has to be brave, even when he’s afraid.” Ahmad believes that with proper funding, weaponry and logistics there is no doubt in his mind that ANA will be able to stand on its own.

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.

Prison Guards in Afghanistan Use Yoga

admink — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:06:58 +0000

Recently retired male supermodel, Cameron Alborzian, obtained a meeting with Major General Phil Jones. Cameron and Jones talked about a more tactful and passive way of getting the Afghan insurgents to lay down their arms. Cameron talked with Jones about using yoga as a way to connect with the prisoners and also calm them. While the idea might seem a bit outlandish, Alborzian has gotten numerous meetings with senior operatives, base representatives and even Afghan ministers to discuss implementing his practice.

Oddly enough the idea of practicing yoga with prisoners caught the eye of Vice Administrator Robert Harward, who is an avid yoga practitioner and recently oversaw detention facilities in Afghanistan. The project has also opened doors at Afghan prisons where Alborzian taught guards at detention centers nonreligious basic yoga poses. Cameron also claims to have secretly taught a Taliban commander to meditate and soothe his mind.

While the idea of ending a decade of war in Afghanistan with yoga may seem unlikely, many analysts say it’s as good of an idea as any.

Read the original article from The Wall Street Journal.

Violence Decreases in Afghanistan

admink — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:07:19 +0000

This past summer violence has decreased in Afghanistan after five years of increasing attacks. This information comes after a new report from the Pentagon. The report tells U.S. officials the current strategy, including finding active areas of insurgent activity and turning them over to Afghan control. Military officials have been waiting for these types of troop-intensive counterinsurgency strategies to show results.

In the first part of the year, however, the report did mention increases in violence but stated that it started the decrease around May. The study also found that the highest decrease in violence occurred in September, a month that was not covered by the UN. As a whole, the level of violence dropped in July to September 26% compared to a year ago. Even though these numbers are strong, commanders worry that troop withdrawals are being considered less on situation and more on a calendar.

Read the original article from The Wall Street Journal.

Hamed Wardak and Blue Key Campaign Sponsors

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:23:20 +0000

The Blue Key Campaign: Miami to DC, took place last week on June 22. Sponsors of the campaign were: Washington Life Magazine, Patton Boggs, LLP, Tethys Petroleum, Fashion Washington, and Gryphon Partners. Hosts included Peter Ackerman, Marc Breslaw, and Hamed Wardak, CEO of Ludus Athletics.

Patton Boggs prides itself on “deliver[ing] solutions and creat[ing] opportunities.” The company provides institutions with legal services to facilitate their work in the global economy in which “government, law and business intersect.” Patton Boggs works on developing “strategic alliances with government and industry leaders enables us to achieve clients’ success.” The firm is proud of its removal of “geographic, political and practice-drive barriers,” and welcomes “diversity in its work. Being a supporter of the Blue Key Campaign is one way in which Patton Boggs can give back to the community.

Dance the Night Away in POV

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:32:27 +0000

Join Washington DC movers and shakers in support of the UN Refugee Agency

9PM, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2011 RESERVE TICKETS HERE

As we transform the terrace of the W Hotel into an ultrachic Miami lounge.

Dance the night away in POV, converted for the night into the hottest club in DC featuring Miami’s own top DJs.

FEATURING: DJ JULIAN INGROSSO OF MIAMI’S MYNT LOUNGE & DJ JASON VERNAU, RESIDENT DJ AT SET, SHORE CLUB, AND FONTAINEBLEAU

8-9PM CO-CHAIR & HOST COMMITTEE RECEPTION WITH INVITED VIP GUESTS. 9PM-2AM BLUE KEY: MIAMI TO Washington DC AT POV

Construction Developments in Afghanistan

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:52:55 +0000

A few weeks ago, a report from the Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) came in with information about the inauguration of a new courthouse building in Kunar, northeast Afghanistan. The building – that took 16 months to complete, at a price of $440,000 – will have three floors and is being constructed for the Asadabad Court of Appeals. America funded the building which will comprise 30 admin rooms, 3 kitchens and one conference hall.

In terms of education there is good news too. In Panjshir (also located in northeast Afghanistan), students will no longer have to sit in tents and learn, but will be able to sit comfortably in a regular high school in Faraj, Anaba which be equipped with 16 classrooms.

Clearly education is key when it comes to developing potential. Individuals, such as Hamed Wardak, have been working towards the establishment of educational facilities in Afghanistan for many years. The above news is a great start for the improvement in quality of life for Afghans.

Afghan and US Bridge-Building: Great News for Wardak

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:53:18 +0000

Hamed Wardak has been working hard to try to build good relations between Afghanistan and America. And once these relations have been developed, Wardak looks for ways to maintain the optimistic fervor between the two countries. Clearly the man would be delighted to learn of other individuals or corporations working for the same goal. And that is exactly what has been happening with a new video conference set up by Spirit of America which has been honing in on “building bridges between American children and Afghan children.”
As America was glued to their TVs to follow the story of the demise of Osama Bin Laden in Washington DC, this video conference was attempting to do the opposite – build good things for Afghan children and “open their minds,” while encouraging them to “make friends with American kids.” Through this video conference, viewers are privy to watching something they probably have “never seen before.”
Participants in the video conference were LA students from Windward School and Afghan students from Kodoala Drab School. It was extremely powerful and actually “brought tears to many eyes.” The video conference comprised “surprise questions, funny moments and a lot of laughter.” The simple interactions between the different students were also incredible; just regular, normal conversations.
The aim was probably achieved. Spirit of America was trying to help US troops aid “Afghan children and schools” with its project.

Afghanistan…After Osama Bin Laden

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 05:24:38 +0000

Hamed Wardak is an activist in Afghanistan, always seeking better conditions for Afghans. In a recent article in the Huffington Post, Wardak said: “the death of Osama Bin Laden is one of the most singular moments of our lives. The man, whose death we do not mourn, launched terrorist actions around the globe and ultimately precipitated the involvement of United States (U.S.) forces in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is where I was born, yet I have spent most of my life as a refugee because of external forces. My homeland has not known peace in more than 30 years, thanks to the Soviet invasion in 1979, the war of liberation against the Soviet occupation, the ensuing civil war, and the subsequent rise of the Taliban theocracy that supported bin Laden. Many of my fellow countrymen have also been forced to live elsewhere as refugees, but now is our moment to shine. The demise of bin Laden is simultaneously the dawn of a new era for Afghanistan. Consequently, we must seize this window of opportunity to build on progress made so far toward ridding the country of the Taliban and stabilizing it for a government that will be supported by the people.”

Hamed Wardak is a former Rhodes Scholar and Georgetown alumni who today is an active Afghan working for the improvement of conditions in Afghanistan. Wardak also has a new line of clothing – Ludus – which donates its profits to the charity.