Rabia Balkhi Hospital Project

The Rábia Balkhi Hospital Project was started in June, 2003 after I watched a documentary about the hospital. My name is Jane Sinense, I live in Mountain View, California. The conditions in this hospital were so dire I decided that I had to do something about it, and I wanted to do it in such a way that any money I donated would go directly to the hospital, not to the paycheckof someone who worked for a large charitable organization.

The next day I did some research and found the Society of Afghan Engineers (http://www.afghan-engineers.org). They are a professional organization of engineers who are naturalized Americans. At any given time they have several of their members in Afghanistan working on projects to help rebuild the country. I received a briefing from the vice president, Mark Quasem Kadir. He explained the need for help and some of the projects with which they’re currently involved. I told him I wanted to make Rábia Balkhi Hospital my project. Within days a member of the Society of Afghan Engineers interviewed Dr. Sara Anwar at the hospital. Here is part of the email I received from Kabul which lists out the items most needed and their priority:

“I visited the hospital emergency ward and the operating theatre and had a detailed discussion with Dr. Sara Anwari and other specialist staff. As a result I found out that the following items of equipment is very much needed with top priority. According to staff none of the items listed below has been provided by any other agencies:“ The equipment which are urgently needed are as follows:
	1. Operating table .............. 1 unit 2. Anaesthesia machine ......1 unit 3. Suction machine ..............1 unit 4. Portable X ray machine ...1 unit 5. Cardiovascular monitor ... 1 unit 6. Tuboplasty equipment ..... 1 set 7. Vaginal operating table .. 1 unit
“I am certain that with the provision of the above supplies and equipment for the Rábia Balkhi Hospital the standard of medical and surgical care would be further improved and the hospital mortality rate of mothers and children will be greatly reduced. I would like to thank you in advance for the generous support to Rábia Balkhi Hospital.”

I have now researched prices for this list of supplies. Used medical equipment is available, and an estimated amount needed for these supplies is $30,000.

I am asking all who visit this website to help get these supplies to Rábia Balkhi Hospital in Kabul as soon as possible. Please tell your friends, family and coworkers about this project, either by forwarding this website address to them, by downloading the brochure or ordering some brochures for distribution in your area (go to the contact page).

All funds will go directly towards the purchase and shipping of these supplies. Checks can be made to the Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE). Internet users can use PayPal. The Society of Afghan Engineers is a tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization. For checks I receive I will send a handwritten receipt to you and forward your check and address to the SAE. They, in turn, will issue you a receipt on their letterhead which will be a tax deductible charitable donation for you. For internet donations made via PayPal I will note your donation and forward it to the SAE. They will send you the receipt on their letterhead.

I will be writing a newsletter and updating this website with progress reports. This is only the beginning. Once these supplies are gotten, we can continue to provide other needs of this hospital and work with other maternity hospitals in the country. If you read some of the news stories on the media page, you'll see that this hospital needs a lot of assistance. If all who read this information donate and spread the word to others we can easily lift this hospital into a higher standard of operation and save lives.

In addition to the Society of Afghan Engineers’ overall purpose to help rebuild Afghanistan, there are projects each chapter works on, such as rebuilding a vocational school and getting supplies for elementary schools. I can brief anyone on these. These projects also need financial backing. I am grateful for SAE’s assistance, they have already proved invaluable in launching this hospital project.

What happens over here does make a difference over there. Thank you in advance for your support. I will answer any questions you may have.