Wells for Wellness: A Fundraising Banquet for Afghanistan

UCLA's United Afghan Club, in conjunction with Afghan Students Association-West, presents:

Wells for Wellness: A Fundraising Banquet for Afghanistan

This banquet is the culminating event of our quarter-long Afghan Well Construction Fundraiser, in which we raise money to build much-needed wells in rural parts of Afghanistan. Students and adults alike will enjoy Afghan culture for a night through delicious food, poetry reading, a beautiful fashion show displaying the diverse styles of Afghanistan's many regions, musical performances by well-known Afghan artists, henna, a raffle of Afghan antiques, an art display, a skit detailing the life of an Afghan-American, and the Afghan national dance. Aside from the cultural aspect, attendees will also learn about the humanitarian crisis plaguing Afghanistan with esteemed keynote speakers from the fields of academia, government, and policy.

In the past, the United Afghan Club (which has been around for only two years) has collected an unprecedented 5 tons of clothes and school supplies for impoverished Afghan youth through the West Coast Clothing and School Supply Drive of 2008, which spanned across 30 universities. UAC also built 10 libraries in Afghanistan, and donated $10,000 in vitamins and monetary donations for Afghan orphans from its first banquet in 2008.

100% of the proceeds this year will go to DACAAR, a development non-governmental organization which works towards sustainable livelihoods in rural Afghanistan including the lasting return of refugees and internally displaced people. Over the years activities inside Afghanistan have expanded to include water supply, sanitation, and hygiene education, and rural development. DACAAR is a leading agency in the water and sanitation sector and has constructed and improved nearly 40,000 water points in 26 provinces in rural Afghanistan.

UCLA's United Afghan Club and members of ASA-West have chosen to build wells in rural Afghanistan in an effort to ensure that all Afghans have easy access to clean, safe water. Without clean drinking water, Afghans are denied the right to life. Clean, safe drinking water is a basic right, a right which over 1.2 billion people are denied. A lack of clean water affects sanitation, health, food supplies and preparation, and economic development. 70% of Afghanistan's population is undernourished and 1 in 4 children die before the age of five. Only 13% of people have access to clean water sources. The situation has worsened due to inadequate rainfall over the last 2 years, leaving 12 districts as drought zones.

We believe that building wells is the most sustainable and permanent contribution we can provide to Afghanistan. Vitamins run out, clothes shrink, pencils are used, but water can last for years. And nothing is more important than water. Long after we are gone, these wells will provide water, and with it, sustain life.