ParsaCommunityFoundation

The House of Flowers was founded in the fall of 2002 by Mostafa Vaziri, an Iranian physician, and Allison Lide, an American teacher, who had just transferred their independent service work with their organization MEPO (Medical, Educational and Peace Organization) from Nepal to Afghanistan. Just three months after moving to Kabul they rented and furnished a house, hired a staff trained in child psychology, health and education, and opened the doors of the House of Flowers orphanage to children coming from destitute family backgrounds.

Since that time, the House has expanded, matured, and evolved into an oasis of peace. Today, nearly 30 children receive an in-house academic education that strongly supplements their local school education. In addition, they learn about their own rich literary and cultural heritage, becoming intimately acquainted with Persian-language and Pashto poets and writers. The children perform science experiments, discuss social issues, and offer seminars on countries they research while also learning how to cook, sew, and do first aid. Allison and Mostafa’s goal for the House of Flowers is to enable each child to become the best person he or she can be, and in this way contribute towards the harmonization of Afghan society as a whole.

The House of Flowers is supported 100% by private donations made to MEPO. There is zero overhead, as all donations are forwarded directly to the House of Flowers to meet the needs of the children and maintain the functioning of the House. All MEPO staff outside of Afghanistan, including Mostafa and Allison, are entirely volunteer-based. For more information about the House of Flowers, see the website at www.mepoonline.org. Anyone wishing to be added to the email list to receive periodic updates about the House or to share any comments or questions may email Allison and Mostafa at mepo_hope@yahoo.com.