Razia 39;s Ray Of Hope Pdf

[Julia Kozub]

One of the things I love most about my job is getting to know my clients on a personal level, and telling their stories in both words and photographs. Razia's story in particular, really got my attention.

Imagine being just 3 years old and living in the midst of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Razia's family knew they had to leave everything behind for their own safety, but leaving was no easy task. There were no planes to take them out of Afghanistan. The family had to pay perpetrators to walk them to Pakistan. Yes, walk! As Razia recalled, "Even though I was so little, I still remember hearing the sound of rockets being fired over my head." Frightening!

Razia's family finally made it to Pakistan where they moved into a crowded place with an aunt. To make matters worse, the thousands of refugees entering Pakistan were seen as illegal aliens and considered "less than" in society. Many left successful careers in Afghanistan, only to find menial jobs in Pakistan. Razia's grandparents, who previously fled to Germany, were both successful professionals in Afghanistan. Her grandmother ran the first hospital there and her grandfather was a cardiologist. Her grandparents moved to Los Angeles in the early 80's and sponsored their children. After 2 years in Pakistan, Razia's family was able to join them in Los Angeles on 3-15-83 where she spent the next 10 years.

Razia knew she wanted to go to college, and eventually moved to the east bay to attend Cal State Hayward. She also knew she wanted to use her experience as a refugee to help others going through the process. She graduated Cal State and attended the California School of Professional Psychology where she was the youngest in her class. She earned her PhD at the age of 26, doing her residency at UCSF. Such an inspiration!

Razia has worked as a clinical psychologist with Jewish Children and Family Services (JCFS) since 2009, helping refugees through the resettlement process. She is the only psychologist in the entire Bay Area who speaks Dari (Afghan), Farsi (Iranian), and English which is huge in gaining the trust of the people she works with. She also appears on an Afghan TV show called "Women of the World" and recently gave a presentation in Washington DC on refugees and immigrants, and the cultural differences between South Asians and Afghans.

Those of us who have grown up in the U.S., especially the San Francisco Bay Area, cannot even begin to know what it was like for Razia's family. Risking your life for your freedom, leaving everything you know behind, moving to a foreign country where you don't speak the language and have no job. It's a story that has repeated itself throughout history, most recently with the current Syrian refugee crisis. The strangest thing for me listening to Razia's story was thinking about what I was doing back in the early 80's compared to what she went through. Night and Day. Like many high school kids, I was completely oblivious.

I am so thankful I got to know Razia and create beautiful keepsake portraits to document her more recent family history. Knowing her story makes it all the more special. Razia's little girls will hopefully never experience the struggle and sacrifice their parents endured to get here, but Razia assured me that someday they would take the girls back to the places they grew up when they first arrived in the U.S.

Humanitarian Razia Jan has a clear message to girls in the Deh Sabz District, women in Kabul and people watching across the world as Afghanistan finds itself thrust into deepening political turmoil: We aren't going anywhere.

Jan, a native of Kabul and a former Marshfield resident, has watched in fear for more than a week as her home country and its capital city is retaken by the Taliban, a militant group that ran the country in the late 1990s. A lifelong advocate for women, Jan is marking 14 years of running a free school for girls on the outskirts of Kabul.

"My heart is broken. I am so sad," Jan said while holding back tears during an interview with The Patriot Ledger. "But I have hope. And I will go back. It is a tragedy that we have to face. After 30 years of hard work, we are back to the point that we started. But right now, we are in a much better position. We have the backing of the community where I have my school and of people all over Afghanistan. We will try to keep the girls in school."

"I hope they are going to do what they are promising. Right now, we have nothing but to take their word because we have no other choices. We have no other government, we are at the mercy of the Taliban," Jan said. "I think if they are willing to continue to let us continue education, we will try to do that. ... I will stand by my students and my girls until the last breath I have. We are not going to abandon them."

The treatment of women varies widely throughout the Muslim world and sometimes even within the same country, with rural areas tending to be far more conservative. Some Muslim countries, including neighboring Pakistan, have had female prime ministers, while ultraconservative Saudi Arabia only recently allowed women to drive.

"I started at the grassroots and I started working with men in that community and those men are benefiting from the education of their daughters and granddaughters," Jan said. "My girls are teaching at my school and other schools in surrounding villages, they are trained midwives and they are taking care of their communities. In the 14 years of service to their communities, we have never had a problem. Men are standing behind us, and we can't give up."

Today, the school educates almost 800 girls ages 4 to 19, and this year will graduate the first class of students who have attended since they were in kindergarten. There are more than 300 girls on waiting lists for kindergarten enrollment through the year 2026. Jan is working on building an extension to the Zabuli Education Center with 28 classrooms, an auditorium, a library and a science lab.

Jan said her school was in a planned closure last week for a religious holiday and to allow girls to study for exams. The school has not reopened since the Taliban takeover, but she said her teachers and staff are working to do so as quickly as possible.

"It's awful and everything came so fast, but people are still in their homes and my girls are safe," she said. "Nobody is stealing them, nobody is taking them away. They are safe and they are with their families."

Razia's foundation launched a GoFundMe page late last week with hopes of raising $500,000 for the families and staff of the Zabuli Education Center. Donations are tax deductible and money will be used to pay for operating expenses and expanded enrollment for students whose families have been displaced to the school's region amid the ongoing instability.

"People are losing their lives right and left," Jan said. "It is a really, really terrible situation but we appreciate the prayers, the well wishes and the help to continue. I'm not giving up and nobody else should."

The foundation also runs a sponsorship program to match donors with students and support student costs, which makes the school free to attend. The Beyond the 11th organization provides monthly financial support to widows in the community so their daughters can continue their education instead of working or marrying.

There's a special place called Bait-ul-Sukoon. It's like a haven where people like Razia find hope and kindness even in tough times. To help her get better, Razia needs seven special injections every 21 days.

Razia's journey isn't easy, but she's not alone. She has her family, friends, and community by her side, supporting her every step of the way. Every little bit of help, whether it's money, kind words, or just being there, makes a big difference to her.

Even though breast cancer is a tough opponent, Razia stays strong and hopeful. With the love and support of those around her, she's fighting hard for a better tomorrow, where she can be healthy and happy with her family.

Every donation means a lot to Razia. It's like getting a big hug from everyone, showing how much they care. Together, we can stand by Razia's side, giving her not only the right treatment but also the love and support she deserves.

Your donation can change Razia's life, giving her hope for the future. Join us in making Razia's journey a little brighter. Let's show her she's never alone, and together, we can make a difference in her life.

HEIDELBERG, Germany - When Heidelberg Girl Scout Cara Burmedi, 17, started working with Razia's Ray of Hope two years ago, she didn't realize the impact the Afghanistan-based organization would have on her.

On Oct. 30, Burmedi invited friend and mentor Razia Jan to speak with community members at the Village Pavilion Community Center in Heidelberg. During her Germany tour, Jan also spoke in Kaiserslautern, at Ramstein Air Base and other communities and schools.

Jan is the founder of Razia's Ray of Hope, a non-profit based in the village of Deh'Subz, northeast of Kabul, that focuses on improving the lives of women and children through community-based education, particularly the Zabuli Education Center.

Jan, 68, an Afghan national who moved to Duxbury, Mass., in 1970 to pursue a master's degree, was a small-business and homeowner. She moved back to Kabul in October 2008 and has dedicated her life and own money to provide girls a free education.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Jan -- the only Afghan or Muslim in her community -- rallied her town to send some 400 homemade blankets to rescue workers at Ground Zero. She has sent care packages to deployed troops in Afghanistan and she coordinated for the delivery of more than 30,000 pairs of shoes to needy Afghan children through Operation Shoe Fly.

"9/11 changed my life," Jan said, adding she was working on a wedding gown while watching TV in her shop when it happened. "What really struck me was the only people going back were firemen and some policemen. They went in and risked their lives," she said.

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