September 10, 2025
For the period during which we did not publish newsletters:
Following the passing of the late Dr. Peter, the OFARIN team both in Germany and Afghanistan has been able to continue the organization’s work in line with Peter’s vision, inspired by the time they worked alongside him. Now, it is essential for us, just as Dr. Peter did, to keep our friends and supporters who are not directly involved in OFARIN but continue to support its mission, informed about our activities.
March 29, 2025, was a dark day for OFARIN, as it was the day we lost Dr. Peter Schwittek. Since then, one of his regular responsibilities (sharing updates) was paused until now. With this letter, we aim to resume that important task. In this issue, we will briefly update you on key developments from the past few months. Moving forward, we hope to share a newsletter every month or at least every two months to keep our valued friends and supporters informed about OFARIN’s activities.
After Dr. Peter’s passing, we honestly didn’t expect Mrs. Anna Maria Schwittek to step into his role so quickly. But to our surprise she became active very soon and began organizing OFARIN’s work. That was the first real sign of hope for OFARIN’s continuity. Over time, we also came to realize the deep commitment of our Afghan colleagues. For them, keeping OFARIN alive isn’t just about continuing charitable activities, it’s become something personal. By keeping these efforts going, they feel a strong connection to Peter, as if he’s still with them. These are the people who truly understand the value and purpose behind OFARIN’s mission, perhaps more than anyone else.
At the end of February, with the help of 600 workers, we prepared 40,500 trenches in Zazi Maidan district of Khost province. Following that, the saplings were purchased and then planted in the prepared trenches by the end of March. After the trench preparation, we had to take a short break due to some issues with transferring funds. Fortunately, those issues were later resolved, and before Dr. Peter’s passing, a sufficient amount of money was transferred to Afghanistan. This allowed us to successfully carry out all the above-mentioned activities for the KH02 project within the planned timeframe.
Originally, the restoration of trenches for the KH01 first tree plantation project in Khost was planned for late March or early April. These trenches are essential for storing rainwater to support the growth of the trees. However, due to ongoing financial challenges in Afghanistan following the passing of Dr. Peter, we were unable to carry out the work as scheduled, and it was eventually completed at the end of August. The representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture repeatedly put pressure on us to carry out the task, but Mr. Telawat consistently explained the situation to them until we were finally able to complete the work.
For the education project, we had a two-year agreement with the Ministry of Education, which was originally supposed to end by the end of 2024. However, since the Taliban introduced a regulation requiring all organizations to follow the solar calendar, our project was extended until March 20, 2025, to align with the end of the solar year. We made many efforts to obtain legal permission for the midwifery program, but the current administration did not grant us approval to operate in Kabul. They insisted that the need in Kabul is lower compared to rural areas. However, we had already started the program on a trial basis in the Chandawal area and kept it running until the end of March. Once our education project ended, we no longer had any official activity in that area, so we were forced to temporarily suspend the midwifery program until a formal and legal solution can be found. After our education project was suspended, our teachers voluntarily continued running their classes without salary for four months. However, since we were required to return the project-related materials to the Ministry of Education, we were compelled to collect the equipment from the classrooms at the end of July. As a result, even the classes that were being run by the teachers voluntarily had to be closed.
At the end of 2023, the Taliban issued a decree prohibiting any foreign NGO from directly operating in the education sector. Therefore, at the beginning of 2025, when our contract with the Ministry of Education was about to expire, the late Peter proposed a solution: our Afghan partners, who have significant experience working with OFARIN in education program, would form an Afghan NGO, register it as a local organization with the Afghan government, and obtain an official license to operate. In this way, the education program would continue just as it was previously run by OFARIN. All the staff of the new NGO are former employees of OFARIN, so the program will be implemented in the same manner as OFARIN itself were managing it. Since the education project has ended and no new agreement has yet been signed with the current government for a new project, our eye treatment program for the pupils has also been suspended. When we don’t have any official permission to operate, continuing such activities at the local level becomes difficult and risky, and the Taliban do not allow it. So far, Abdullah has examined 4,014 pupils, of whom 968 were found to have vision problems. 168 pupils have been provided with medication by the doctor, 139 pupils have received eyeglasses, and eye surgeries have been performed on 4 pupils. As a result, out of all the identified pupils requiring eye treatment, 657 pupils still remain untreated.
One difference between the Taliban government and others is that, in previous governments, laws were made in the center and their implementation also began there, gradually extending to the provinces. However, in the Taliban system, it is the opposite the enforcement of laws starts in the provinces and then moves toward the center. The Taliban had already imposed restrictions on barbers in the districts more than a year ago, prohibiting them from trimming beards. Later, they extended this ban to provincial capitals, and recently, the same restriction has been implemented in Kabul. If a barber is caught trimming someone’s beard, their shop will be closed for three days on the first offense. If caught a second time, the shop will be shut down for fifteen days. On the third offense, the barber will be imprisoned, and the judge will decide the punishment. Here, all authority rests with the Emir, and even those Taliban officials who may disagree with him do not express their differences openly. I believe they understand that doing so would endanger their position of power. After the Emir, a significant amount of authority lies with the employees of the Ministry of AMER BAL MAROOF, Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, who currently receive the highest salaries in the system. Their job is to ensure that everything aligns with Sharia law, and they are authorized to interfere in anyone’s affairs. Most of their orders are given verbally. In both cities and villages, they move around in groups, monitor everything, and intervene. Just last month, in Kandahar province, they instructed shopkeepers not to sell goods to women in an effort to discourage women from coming to the city.
In June our contract with ODIA a local NGO for ten classes in Khost was ended and it was renewed for six more months with the budget $22,110. So we will have active ten classes in Khost until our new NGO gets protocol with the ministry of education.
Hewad Khan