TLS Student Project Arezo Supports Child Workers in Afghanistan
Images of Arezo activities courtesy of Sonita Alizada and Khadija Ghanizada
Arezo was born out of a single woman’s experience of child labor and her wish, or arezo in Farsi, to use her position as a student in the US to affect change in her home country, thousands of miles away. Sonita Alizada ’23 was a child laborer who moved from Afghanistan to Iran when she was five, where she lived for most of her adolescence. Sonita was one of thousands of children who worked hard day after day to help support herself and her family.
When she was 16, Sonita moved to the US and has been here ever since. Living in the US was the first time she could live without having to work. However, she felt guilty leading this life when so many children were still working in Iran and Afghanistan. In 2020, Sonita asked people to donate for her birthday to buy clothes, food, and school supplies for two working children back in Afghanistan. This inspired her to make this a regular project, rather than just a one-time thing. In November of 2020, the project Arezo, meaning “wish” in Farsi, was born. In this format, Sonita and the Arezo team have been able to support over 600 children and their families thus far. In 2021 the program became a TLS project at Bard, allowing Sonita and the team to enhance the work with added support and resources from Bard and the TLS staff.
Sonita Alizadeh ’23 (left) and Khadija Ghanizada ’23 (right), Arezo project leads at the fall 2021 wish concert fundraiser. Photo by AnnAnn Puttithanasorn ’23.
Managing the project on her own was a lot, so Sonita enlisted the help of friends and family in the US and Afghanistan. A prominent member of this project is Bard student Khadija Ghanizada ’23, who has worked with Sonita since the beginning. “I personally got involved because, growing up I was always privileged enough… I didn’t have to work and be the only source of income for my family. My parents would always buy everything for me,” Khadija told me. She would walk to school and see other kids her age selling gum and snacks instead of going to school. These kids would make only $1 a day, yet would sometimes be the only providers for their entire families. That single dollar is equivalent to the price of 2 pieces of bread or a simple lunch in Afghanistan.
Seeing such child laborers made Khadija wish she could help, yes she could not figure out a sustainable way to do so. When Sonita told her of Arezo, Khadija felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to support these children and their families. Sonita and Khadija both felt that it was their responsibility to use their privilege of living in the US to help the children who did not have any other source of support. As Khadija said, “These kids are the future of my country. Not even the future, the present. Helping them helps me create a better future.”
Bard College has supported Arezo in many ways, including the student body serving as volunteers and donating to the project. “The only reason that Arezo is still running is because of the people at Bard. I hope people can trust Arezo more and see the progress we’ve made," said Sonita. Arezo has fundraising events, opportunities to paint and donate art, tabling events, concerts, art sales, club collaborations, and more. Past events have included the Arezo Wish Concert in fall 2021, a large painting fundraiser where boba tea, paintings, and pottery were sold. The Halloween-themed event allowed participants to create Halloween costumes and bake cookies, sell art, and more.
Arezo continues fundraising at Bard College, in addition to online. The main focus of Arezo is “adopting” families, in which a child and their family is chosen each month to appear on Arezo social media accounts. Followers can agree to be the child’s sponsor for $50 a month. Currently, the majority of the $50 goes to paying for food. However, future plans include taking $10 from that donation to invest in the children's education, potentially for private teachers and classes. Other plans include creating a scholarship program for kids to have easy access to all levels of education. Indeed, the project has come a long way since Sonita’s original wish, her arezo.
If you would like to get involved, learn more, or have any questions, please check out Arezo on the internet or on Instagram or follow Sonita Alizada on Instagram.
Post Date: 10-28-2022