Apples for Afghanistan
Host Pack
Whatever you’re planning on cooking and whoever you’re thinking of inviting to your Apples
for Afghanistan party this pack should provide you with everything you need to run a
successful party.
The money raised from your event will help fund Afghanaid’s vital work in Afghanistan so on
behalf of everyone involved with Afghanaid’s projects thank you for giving your time and
effort to this cause.
If you need any additional help or advice please contact [email protected] or ring +44
(0) 207 065 0825.
We can also send you:
• ‘How far do you walk for water?’ leaflets. The leaflets give a short overview about
Afghanaid. They would be good for a public event of if you would like to give your
guests something to take home with them so they can share the information with a
friend or colleague.
• Loose postcards. These can be used as thank you cards for your Apples for
Afghanistan party guests.
• DVD of Afghanaid’s work. If you won’t have access to the internet at your party we
can send you a DVD with one of the films available on our YouTube site to share
with your guests.
Did you know..
Did you know that apples are believed to have originated from the Tien Shan Mountains
between Kazakhstan and China – just 500 miles away from Afghanistan? And, although
archaeologists believe we have been eating apples for 8500 years, this area remains the
world’s most fertile area for apple growing. In 2005 at least 55 million tonnes of apples
were grown by the 7,500 cultivators of apples around the world, with a value of about $10
billion. Afghanistan also plays its part in this phenomenal harvest – the climatic conditions
in certain areas of Afghanistan are perfect for apple cultivation and apples are still grown by
many of the farmers whom Afghanaid works with.
The health benefits of eating apples are talked about in many different cultures from the
popular nineteenth century saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” to Norse myths
linking apples with eternal youth and fertility. However, research suggests that apples may
actually be able to reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and heart
disease and can help with controlling cholesterol. Their texture and juice content means
that apples can be used as a ‘natural toothbrush’!
Apples for Afghanistan
About Afghanaid
About Afghanaid
Afghanaid has worked alongside Afghan communities for nearly 10,000 days, providing
assistance for people in hardship and distress. We currently work with over 1 million adults
and children, focusing on long term sustainable development in rural areas.
Our work extends to four provinces (Samangan, Badahkshan, Nuristan and Ghor) and we
have over 400 staff in Afghanistan, 98% of whom are Afghan. We remain committed to the
people of Afghanistan well into the future.
Afghanaid works on the following areas:
Agriculture
Animal Health
Children and Youth
Community Development Councils
Engineering
Women
Economic Empowerment
So far in 2010 Afghanaid has:
Vaccinated 30,000 animals
Established 300 orchards
Distributed 20,000 saplings
Trained 1,600 people in bookkeeping
Provided 100 villages with clean water
Built 10 bridges
Trained 5,220 farmers in vegetable
production and diversification
...enjoy!
Apples for Afghanistan
Success Stories
During your Apples for Afghanistan party share Afghanaid’s success stories and show our short
film presented by John Simpson. The film is called ‘Afghanaid’ and it is available on the Afghanaid
YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/AfghanaidUK.
Farmer Field Schools
In Shurhada District, Badakhshan Province, Mohamad ‘Zaree’ – an Afghanaid employee for
13 years who is known locally as ‘the cultivator’ – has been teaching at an Afghanaid Farmer
Field School (FSS).
The course currently lasts 6 months and the syllabus
includes lessons in:
1. Identifying improved seeds
2. Pest control and the use of fertilisers
3. Weeding, grafting and budding techniques
As well as learning new skills, course participants conduct sewing and fertility trials and
benefit from visits to the FFS by farmers specialised in various agricultural techniques. This
not only teaches them how to look out for good characteristics in plants but helps all of the
farmers in the area to know which new varieties of plants will grow well in their soil and
climate. In Shurhada District the farmers are trailing and observing:
• Wheat (16 varieties)
• Fruits and nuts: mulberries, peaches, apples, strawberries, apricots and almonds
• Vegetables (13 varieties) including lettuce, radish, cabbage, tomato, aubergine, onion
and soya (for oil)
• Fodder, alfalfa and clover
Local course participant, Mahomed Alim, who has been a farmer for 30 years, attended
the first round of the Farmer Field School in 2007. He said he attended the course in
order to enhance his skills and learn new techniques. Some of the lessons he has learnt
and considers especially important are: isolating improved seeds, agriculture for animal
husbandry, how to create improved seeds and working with fertiliser, crop rotation and
weeding techniques. Prior to the FFS Mohamed was using ‘non-improved’ local varieties and
seeds. He estimates that since completing the course and introducing improved wheat his
yield has risen by a remarkable 50%, helping to significantly increase his income. Mohamed
has also gone on to share his knowledge and skills with other local farmers.
stories continued...
Apples for Afghanistan
More Success Stories
Basic Veterinary Training
When Bahurudin was 19 years old he was unemployed and poor. But he owned cows, sheep
and goats and was interested in animal health care. He was therefore chosen by his village
committee to be trained by an Afghanaid vet and, 5 years later, he is working as a basic
veterinary worker (BVW) and is able to earn an income from this work. Bahurudin says he
is now very keen to continue learning about animal health care by attending courses and
reading training books and he is grateful to Afghanaid for providing him with annual refresher
courses with the Afghanaid vet.
Prior to his being trained as a BVW he estimates that animal mortality in his district ranged
between 20 and 50%. He estimates that every livestock owning family would lose about 8 -10
animals out of 20 annually, many being affected by anthrax. Bahurudin is now able to help
the farmers in his area by vaccinating animals against fatal diseases with vaccines which
are provided on a subsidised basis by Afghanaid. He usually treats 15 to 20 animals per day,
though when administering mass vaccination he can see as many as 100 animals in one day.
It’s not just the animals of the district who benefit from Afghanaid’s veterinary training.
Bahurudin now owns 30 animals (goats, sheep, cows and a horse) and is able to help support
his wife, his three children, and 5 members of his extended family. In addition, his becoming
a BVW and the direct improvements he has brought about to animal health in the district has
inspired other animal owners in his village to learn how to administer vaccines to animals.
Upper Catchment Programme
As the result of an Afghanaid project named the Upper Catchment Programme 30,000
saplings and 10,000 trenches sit upon a mountain towering over the Khushkak Dara Village.
A small reservoir has been built at the apex of the mountain to channel water down to the
new saplings and herbs which have now rooted themselves on this once barren mountain.
On the other side of the valley the hillside shows signs of having been over farmed, ranged
and eroded. The 16 members of Khushkak Dara Community Development Council have used
the Upper Catchment programme to reclaim this land. The saplings – apricot, pistachio and
almond – will bear fruit in about 8 years and until this time the alfalfa, lavender and sage will
be harvested and used in the community for food and livestock fodder. When the saplings
were initially planted farmers found that foxes would eat them over night. So the community
taped the sound of dogs barking and played this in the evenings. This scared the foxes away
and allowed the saplings to establish themselves. There are two guards who oversee the
security of the land and prevent foxes, goats and other unwanted animals from grazing on
the land. What was once a threat to the community and a barren plain is now a fragrant oasis
which will be harvested and turned into a profit in the near future.
Apples for Afghanistan
Organising your event
To whet your appetite we’ve created separate packs of appe based recipes and drinks ideas
but you don’t have to stick to our suggestions – why not introduce your friends to your mum’s
famous apple pie recipe? You could also be a little experimental and try out some Afghan
dishes from ‘Noshe Djan: Afghan Food & Cookery’ by Helen Saberi. Please contact Ffion on
[email protected] or 0207 065 0825 if you’d like a copy of this book (priced at £8). Not
every dish you serve up has to be apple themed – you could simply start off with an appletini
(see our Drinks Pack) and end with an apple desert. Whether you’re planning a three course
dinner or tea and cakes with a few friends remember to think about the following things to help
your event go as smoothly as possible:
Date: We’d love you to join with other Afghanaid supporters in holding your Apples for
Afghanistan party between 21 October (UK Apple Day) and 31 October (a date on which
apples are often used to celebrate Halloween) but we prefer you to choose a day that
works best for you and your guests.
Venue: Your house is the simplest option! But if you feel like putting on something a little
larger, perhaps in your local village hall, please get in touch with Ffion as she’s ready to
provide ideas to help make your event a success.
Guests: Invite as many tummies as you can feed. You can print off and use the
invitations we have sent you. If you use social networking sites like Facebook remember
to invite guests to your party this way too.
Publicity: Whatever the size of your party, please take a few moments to write your press
release. Fill in your details, ring up your local newspaper(s) and send the press release
to them. You may think that a dinner party or coffee morning at your house isn’t very
interesting but with such an interesting theme and with a good cause attached they may
well take it up. You can also make posters and put them up around your community to
advertise your event.
Entertainment: We’ve included a quiz for you and your guests to play at your Apples for
Afghanistan dinner party. Simply print off the two quiz pages (it works best on card), fold
them up and hand them around your guests. If you’d like to add a little something extra to
your party please also take a look at the suggested apple themed games you can play.
Refreshments: Another easy one – jsut take a look at our Recipes and Drinks Packs for
inspiration. When sourcing your apples why not visit your local green grocers and see if
they are able to offer you a charity discount?
Profit: To raise funds for Afghanaid suggest a minimum donation or ask your guests to
donate what they would have spent had they gone for a meal in a restaurant that night.
If your guests wish to donate by cheque these should be made out to ‘Afghanaid’. If they
prefer to donate cash please collect this and write a cheque from your own bank account
for the same amount and sent it to our office. Please encourage all guests who donate to
sign the Gift Aid form which will enable us to claim an extra 28p for every £1 they donate.
Apples for Afghanistan
Entertainment
Music
Afghanaid has several music CDs for £10 which you could use at your party to set the mood:
Ensemble Bakhtar Live
Ensemble Bakhtar in Palermo
Veronica Doubleday - Heart to Heart
Yusef Mahmoud - Classical Tabla (Indian Drum) Interpretation
These CDs, as well as books, jewellery and décor items are available from the Afghanaid online shop
– www.afghanaid.org.uk/shop - or by contacting the office on [email protected].
Games and other entertainment
If you’re planning on opening your event to the public or if you have invited children of any age, why
not try out these one of the following forms of entertainment and apple games?
Bobbing
A famous Halloween night game. Put some apples in a bowl of water and the contestants have to try
and pick an apple out without using their teeth. N.B. take the Apples for Afghanistan quiz to find out
why apples float!
Cider
Drink it, taste it, or make your own! Visit http://www.lowcostliving.co.uk/home-brewing to see how.
Printing
Apples cut in half can be used for making paint prints on paper bags, cards or posters.
Gifting
There is a long tradition of giving apples at different times of the year. Why not create some gifts at
your Apples for Afghanistan party using your apple prints or by making Afghan apple jam together (see
the Recipes Pack)? You could give them as Christmas presents and donate the money you would
have spent on buying a gift to Afghanaid!
Peeling
Have a competition to see who can make the longest unbroken peel. Give each competitor an apple
and an apple peeler or a sharp knife (always supervise children) and see who can make the longest
unbroken peel. Why not try this game before you start cooking so you don’t waste apples and you
have to do all of the peeling yourself! If you hold your party before 8 November you could enter
Common Ground’s annual competition for the longest peel (see www.commonground.org.uk).
Pinning
Make a picture of an apple and attach a picture of a maggot to a drawing pin or some blue tack and
play ‘Pin the Maggot on the Apple’.
Racing
Try an ‘apple and spoon’ race. If you have a sloping garden or a small hill in a local park try having a
race to see who can roll an apple (probably one that you’re not going to eat later!) down the hill the
fastest. To make it harder put a target at the bottom and award extra points for accuracy.
Archery
If you can do so safely, re-tell the story of William Tell and arrange an archery competition.
Game ideas taken from www.commonground.org.uk
Apples for Afghanistan
End of the party...
Whether you raise £10 or £100 at your Apples for Afghanistan party, every penny will make a
difference in the lives of rural Afghans.
£10 purchases improved wheat seed allowing a farmer to provide for his family for a year
£50 buys a hand operated sewing machine and material to provide tailoring training for one
woman
£111 purchases 50kg improved wheat seed and 50kg fertilizer for irrigated or rain fed land
allowing a farmer to plant and provide for his family for a year
£170 covers the cost of seeds and fertilizer for an orchard on a 1,000 square meter plot of land
£690 provides basic health education to 30 women over 9 months with the provision of a hygiene
kit to each woman.
£1,000 allows 2 women to acquire the knowledge and tools needed to start a small home based
enterprise
Your guests can make cheques payable to ‘Afghanaid’. We prefer that you do not send cash to us in
the post so when you receive cash donations, please provide Afghanaid with a cheque for the relevant
amount.
Gift Aid
If any of your guests are UK tax payers, for every £1 they give, Afghanaid can claim an additional 28p
from the government at no extra cost to them or to you. In order to claim gift aid, however, we need
your guests to tick the box on your Gift Aid form provided AND give us a postal address.
Please return donations, the completed Gift Aid form and the slip below to Freepost RRKT-BGXCBJYE, Development House, 56 - 64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT.
Please complete the information below, detach this slip and include it with your party donations to Afghanaid
Party Organiser
Number of Guests
Date of Event
We’d love to hear about your event. Any suggestions for next year?
Additional comments?
Total Donations (£)