Afghani school project gets support in the Bayshore

By SOMDATTA SENGUPTA

Published Jan 24, 2008

Highlands resident Kathy Muradi has been receiving steady support for rebuilding two schools in Kabul, Afghanistan, from the clients at her hair salon in Hazlet.

During recent months, Muradi established a charity known as “Afghan Women and Children in Need,” geared toward raising money locally for her school project.

Now, Highlands Mayor Anna Little has joined forces with Muradi. “I was very moved by Kathy’s story, and it really brought home for me the importance of helping this effort,” Little said. “This is a perfect example of how events that seem to be so remote have an impact in our local community.”

Muradi was just 17 years old when she fled Afghanistan to be free from Soviet oppression, in 1980. At the time, Muradi had been set to attend college for engineering in her homeland. However, in the midst of the Soviet crackdown, she arrived to the United States via India to begin a family and new life here.

What was left behind was her family of origin, which included her father, Din Mohammed Muster, a Columbia University master’s degree recipient in education. Muster had dedicated his life to education in his homeland. In fact, up until his death, during 2006, Muster had continued to work for providing better textbooks for Afghanistan’s schools.

“My father used to say, ‘Education is everything.’ If you don’t have education you have nothing,” she recalled.

Muradi returned to her country for the first time since 1980 in 2006, to pay her respects to her late father. According to Muradi, it was then that she got the idea to try and help rebuild some of what had been lost over the years, between Soviet oppression and the Taliban’s regime.

Little has committed to help raise funds and provide general support for Muradi’s charity. “I think that, especially where it involves Highlands, this is one big family. If myself and others can help make a difference for those who need it in Afghanistan, then that seems like what we should do.”

According to Muradi, “I have received more contributions last week. It is encouraging to see that people trust me. I just need to reach out to more people and tell them about my work.”

Muradi said she was thankful that Little is helping her. “I think it is wonderful that my mayor here in the U.S. has decided to help. It makes such a big difference and says so much about Mrs. Little. I cannot thank her enough,” Muradi said.

Muradi established her 501[c] 3 charity and has vowed to work toward bettering the life of school children in Kabul. She explained that, currently, classes for children are conducted in the open, without so much as a perimeter fence to protect them or sanitized drinking water at school.

All checks made out to the organization will be used to accomplish two main objectives this March when she visits the schools at the beginning of the academic year.

For more information, go to the group’s Web site at www.awcin.org, or call Muradi at (732) 335 8333.