Afghan Nurseries

Samsortya has helped to establish five nurseries to date in Eastern Afghanistan. The gardens are established on privately-held land and staffed by local workers. The spaces boast hundreds upon thousands of trees and plants of staggering variety. The harvest from each year is used to feed families in the community where the nursery is established.

A small sampling of our plants includes fig, orange, pear, strawberry, olive, persimmon, corn, hemp, pumpkin, spinach, guava, pine nuts, and pomegranate.

Nursing and Midwifery Education Scholarship

Afghanistan is a country where local healthcare providers are in short supply, much less those with a formal medical education. To combat alarming rates of infant and maternal mortality, as well as contribute to a global movement toward community-based medicine, Afghanistan Samsortya established the Nursing and Midwifery Education Scholarship in the summer of 2018 to provide pathways into the nursing profession. To date, we have secured donor-directed funds for five young women to attend a two- to four-year program in their local province. Once graduated, these nurses will be able to provide healthcare to their communities and have a practical livelihood to support their families.

Photo courtesy of the United Nations Development Program. Current Samsortya Nursing and Midwifery Education Scholarship recipients are not pictured.

Wells and Springs

Samsortya has funded the drilling of wells to supply clean water to the residents of the cities and villages where the nurseries are established. In Afghanistan, more than 75% of the population lacks access to clean water for drinking and bathing, making the wells one of Samsortya's top priorities. In addition to these wells being a consistent source of potable water for local Afghans, the water is used to irrigate the Samsortya nurseries and aid the growth of the thousands of trees that provide food, fuel, and employment to the villagers.