Article On Jennifer Heath

In our postmodern society many women are revered as role models or heroines. But all too often, they are women who have become famous through appearances on television or in film, or who run their own magazines or creative/media empires. While I admire their accomplishments, I feel that many women devoted to making practical and positive change in the world are often overlooked. They are not profiled on 60 Minutes nor do they appear on the cover of popular magazines. There are no glitzy award shows to honor their accomplishments. Yet their tireless efforts continue. One such woman is author and activist, Jennifer Heath of Boulder, Colorado. Born in Australia as the daughter of an American diplomat, Jennifer is the driving force behind an ambitious humanitarian project called, "Seeds for Afghanistan." She has a deep attachment to Afghanistan, having been connected to the country since the age of 12, and coming of age there. Seeds for Afghanistan is under the umbrella of the remarkable non-profit project, Afghans4Tomorrow. The group which began in 1999 has been dedicated since the Taliban era to supporting and empowering the Afghanpeople to rebuild their country after more than two decades of war. Jennifer Heath is the author of several books, including A White House with Sorrow: A Ballad for Afghanistan, a fictional memoir. But it may have been Jennifer's passion for gardening, her devotion to environmental issues and her book, The Echoing Green: The Garden in Myth and Memory that inspired her to begin her seeds project. Because of her deep and abiding respect and love for the people of Afghanistan and her long-time involvement in their fate, Jennifer knew how desperately they needed food.

"I put out a call for seeds to the local newspapers,” she says. “I wrote emails to friends. Soon, the milk box I keep on my porch marked "Seeds for Afghanistan" was filling like crazy…A local seed company, Botanical Interests, Inc. became a regular donor and …Seeds of Change, which uses organic non-genetically modified seeds gave me more than 10,000 packs." Altogether, the project has collected more than "200,000 vegetable and flower seeds and delivered them directly to families, farmers, gardeners, widows, schools, orphanages and more" (Report from Afghanistan, June 2003). Afghanistan is indeed desperate. "Twenty-three years of continuous wars have contributed to incredible pollution, poisoned waters, destroyed irrigation systems, deforestation and so on…Children die daily of dysentary…Landmines kill 3 children everyday…One in 20 women die in childbirth and Afghanistan has the 4th highest infant mortality rate in the world…(Ibid)." During her recent trip to Afghanistan, Jennifer accompanied members of Engineers Without Borders-International to the rural Farza district, 60 kilometers north of the capital city of Kabul, where the engineers were recruited to look for water. She brought hope and practicality to the Afghans -- whom she describes as "resilient, proud, tough and unbelievably hard-working" -- by distributing seeds, purchasing shoes, clothing and food for the poor, distributing school supplies (aided by Denver's PencilsForPeace), teaching women at the PARSA (Physiology and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan) Widows’ Gardens how to plant seeds, distributing medicine and comforting arthritic farm women with Ibuprofen and tips on massage.

Jennifer's work is so grass roots it seems to be going unnoticed, but not by the people who matter most to Jennifer. Since she returned in Boulder, she hasn't stopped. In fact, she's rarely left her home as she continues with the strength and courage of a lioness devoted to her cubs. She continues to solicit more medicine and seeds. She's also working with women locally and nationally to fight infant and maternal mortality. "We've got to get prenatal care, children's medicines, decent food, water filters, clean midwifery and medical skills to Afghanistan,” she says passionately, “and we will." She is also dedicated to a project close to her heart -- the construction of a proper, 10room school for girls of Farza and is writing grants to help fund it. It will support the K through 12 educations of 500 girls from the 8-village region. Her efforts with Afghans4Tomorrow bring great hope for the Afghan people. Along with Wahid Omar, Director of Education for the project and photographer Sheryl Shapiro, Jennifer distributed 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies and teachers' kits to Mir Wais Hotaki School in a badly destroyed war zone in Kabul. They also procured a laptop, desks and chairs. In Farza, Jennifer and Sheryl gave sewing materials to women thanks to donations obtained from the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America and Sheryl passed out toothbrushes and toothpastes to hundreds of street children. “I cannot imagine how I could have coped on this trip without Sheryl,” Jennifer says. “There was so much work to do and so much despair that having a good friend and travel companion, someone with a sense of fun, was irreplaceable.”

Jennifer's commitment to peace and social activism doesn’t end with her incredible work in Afghanistan. She also founded "Artists for Peace, Justice and Civil Liberties" which can be found on the Internet at www.Taparts.org. Jennifer has published numerous books, created anti-war street performance and in 1999, founded The Arts Paper in Boulder, CO. A veteran arts writer, she believes that art "speaks" and "enlightens" and has always been interested in "political art and art that strives for the betterment of humankind." When asked what advice she would impart to artists who want to be peace activists, Jennifer said; "THINK. Don't engage in bumperstickerisms. Eschew obfuscation and cliché. Be an artist. But also be educated. Read… We must know who we are, where we come from and therefore be able to think about where we are going…But also, be skilled… Learn to draw. Learn to act. Learn to sculpt. Learn technique…" There is no doubt that Jennifer Heath doesn't engage in activism for the sake of esthetics or trends. Activism is the air she breathes. It's quite possible she could have queried many top publishers and made a great deal of money with a popularized or sanitized version of her story: "American Woman Goes to Afghanistan As a Heroine for the People". It might even have made a touching Movie of the Week. But, she is uninterested in laurels and awards. She is interested in real social change and she is interested in raising awareness about the real needs and the plight of the Afghan people. When I asked Jennifer what new projects are coming up for her, Jennifer's answer describes her to a "T". In addition to trying to change the midwifery/infant mortality/maternal death rate in Afghanistan, she's working with good friend, Ghada Elturk, on a mini-conference about cultural preservation and destruction, notably the

looting and burning of books and historical artifacts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In January 2004,, she will launch a new book from Paulist Press called, The Scimitar and the Veil: Extraordinary Women of Islam. Jennifer closes her Report from Afghanistan with words that echo her passionate and compassionate voice; "…peace begins with the knowledge of the past and a renewed, empowering sense of identity. Peace begins with education. Peace begins with wellness. Peace begins with full, contented bellies. Peace begins in Nature." If there is to be hope for the people of Afghanistan and their future, it begins with people like Jennifer Heath. Perhaps she should be on the cover of magazines and profiled by 60 Minutes. No doubt, other women will become inspired and multiply her efforts. As the ancient philosopher Hillel wrote: "If I am not for me then who will be for me? But, if I am only for myself, then who am I? And, if not now when?" If you want to know more about Jennifer and her work, log on to www.jenniferheath.com. To

learn more about the efforts of Afghans4Tomorrow, go to;

www.afghans4tomorrow.com. You www.seedsofchange.com.

can contact Seeds and Medicines for Afghanistan at