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Norgrove charity helps war-
Small things are making a big difference to some of the worst-
The 36-
Linda had been kidnapped by insurgents two weeks earlier in a remote part of the volatile eastern Kunar province where she was supervising development schemes.
Since her death her parents John and Lorna Norgrove have immersed themselves in raising money for the Linda Norgrove Foundation to continue the work their daughter was undertaking in Afghanistan.
The fund currently stands at £336,000 as a result of various fundraising including £100,000 from Linda’s and her parents savings and the same amount from the Scottish Government.
The money is being invested in small projects aimed at helping women and children in Afghanistan who have been affected by the war.
So far the charity has invested over £25,000 into development projects including teaching improvised Afghan women to read and write and provide basic arithmetic lessons to girls, an issue Linda desperately wanted to improve.
In their letter the Norgroves wrote: "We have found Afghanistan to be a difficult place to work because of the pace of change, the complicated politics and the security situation.
“At first we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere but, as time has passed, we’ve found our feet and have now made good progress identifying projects that fit with our requirements of making a real difference whilst avoiding aid dependency as much as possible.
“We are keen on small scale projects that donors can identify with and that we can more easily monitor to ensure that the money has been spent as planned.”
The charity has helped women and children victims of trafficking, violence and domestic abuse by giving over £11,000 to provide and kit out a counselling room in a safe refuge.
People in 28 remote villages have been inoculated against diseases such as measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus thanks to a donation of £4,823.
£8,433 has paid for women in 15 villages to be taught birth life saving skills to ensure a safe, hygienic birth for both mother and baby.
250 women in remote communities to are learning to read and write through a literacy project with partners Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. The project included setting up libraries within the villages which should benefit 3,000 villagers over the next year after an investment of nearly £15,000.
A bread oven to feed women and children in a widows home in Jalalabad, plus footballs and cricket sets came to £529.
A disabled children’s home in Kabul received £4,823. It means ten children who slept
on a hard concrete floor now have comfortable beds. The funding had the added bonus
of giving work to local craftsman. The money also provided toys, winter clothing
for the children and egg-
The Foundation has helped establish a tourism business in the remote Wakhan corridor by providing £3,486 for tents, equipment and English lessons to guides. Tourism is one of the only sources of income in the region.