Frequently Asked Questions

What does HAWP mean?
Helping Afghan Women Project (We call it HOPE).

What is the Helping Afghan Women Project?
Helping Afghan Women Project (HAWP) was founded in September 2004 and granted non-profit status, as a 501(c) (3) foundation, in March 2005. In December 2008, HAWP received NGO status from the government of Afghanistan as one of two companies approved of 34 who applied.

What is the mission of Helping Afghan Women Project?
Our mission is twofold -- to empower Afghan women to become self-sufficient, first by meeting their basic needs, then, through education and skills training, while creating goodwill for the American people at the same time. We believe that the women of Afghanistan can make a difference in their own country. We want to help these women help themselves through a direct assistance program.

How did HAWP begin?
Our President Barbara Spier, owner of a company in Afghanistan, recognized the tremendous need of Afghan widows and orphans and was discussing this in a presentation to a group of business colleagues. Heida Thurlow was a member of the audience who had been touched by the kindness of Americans as a child growing up in war-torn Germany and wanted to help Barbara make a difference. They were joined by Lindmuth “Lynn” Fuller, Treasurer and Patricia “Trish” Barry Rumble, and in 2004, this far-reaching journey began.

Oranoos Raza Haidari is Barbara Spier’s Afghan assistant and is the HAWP Country Manager for Afghanistan. She has been instrumental in HAWP’s efforts to help women and children in Afghanistan. The Board of HAWP has continued to expand and now includes 11 women, most of who are located in the Houston, TX area. Beverly McKenna lives in Savannah, GA and Najie S. Reeves, an Afghan native, lives in the Fort Worth, TX area.

How can you be certain that donations are actually received by the widows and orphans in Afghanistan who need them?
All the clothing and purchased items collected by HAWP members are packaged and shipped from Vice President Heida Thurlow’s company, Chantal Cookware, directly to Barbara Spier’s company in Afghanistan, U.S. Protection and Investigations, where distribution is controlled and items disseminated to those in need. Additionally, items purchased locally in Afghanistan are distributed with the help of volunteers.

How did Helping Afghan Women Project learn about the need of the Nazo Ana Primary School?
HAWP President Barbara Spiers tells the story: “My assistant, Oranoos Raza Haidari found out about the school. Her younger sister and brother were attending the school and her sister told her about the conditions at the school.

“There were no chairs, no blackboards, and only one working bathroom for 3,000 students! One thousand children attend the school from 6:00 am to 10:00 am, another 1,000 go to classes from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, while yet another 1,000 attend from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The school was not big enough to accommodate 3,000 children all at the same time.

“Oranoos told me, ‘Miss Barbara, the conditions are so bad. Isn’t there something we can do?’ I got quotes from purchasing agents about the cost for six bathrooms in the school. HAWP paid for that. The desks were made locally from a good wood that would be sustainable. The children were so excited when the desks arrived!

“Once everything had been completed, the school administrators invited me to the school so they could say ‘thank you’ for the new desks. There seemed to be a line a mile long of children throwing flower petals. I couldn’t believe it! I felt so honored and touched by the outpouring of love and appreciation.”