Book: Rubies in the Dust- voices from Afghanistan

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This campaign was successful and closed on 25/09/2015 at 8:00 PM.

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Book: Rubies In The Dust- Voices From Afghanistan

Project 2015-08-02 12:39:57 +1200

 Rubies in the Dust – voices from Afghanistan

video message from Tariq

The Press: Collaborative book highlights resilience of Afghan youth

I was not given a choice where to be born and under what conditions,

but I was given the choice to imagine better,”

from the story Asil’s Imagination.

 

With this book the Aida Children’s Fund has given some courageous young people a voice and a platform to become role models across the world. 

We believe that all children need stories. They need stories of heroes and monsters, of adventure and fantasy. They also need stories that they can connect to, stories of courage and resilience and hope.

Children and young people in Afghanistan rarely get the opportunity to share their stories, or even to read stories that resonate with their own experiences. Tariq Habiyar , founder of Aida Childrens Fund (NZ) has given some young people the chance to share their stories with the world and with each other.

The first collection of these stories have been translated into English, and then retold by  New Zealand author and writing tutor, Heather McQuillan. The book also includes discussion and support notes for individuals, families and teachers.  Rubies in the Dust – voices from Afghanistan is almost ready for publication but we need you to help by ordering your own advance copies. Production and shipping costs of $4,000 need to be met to cover the first print run.

We can imagine better too. Our goal is to have the stories translated back into Persian and distributed free to children in Afghanistan .

 There is an Afghan proverb:

Qatra qatra darya maisha’ – ‘Drops of water make a river’

You can be part of the river through your pledge. 

Please see the Aida Children’s Fund website http://aidachildrensfund.org/for further ways that you can assist with our other projects of building schools and funding scholarships or watch this video of Tariq’s TEDx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cSNjhIFjFs

We would like to acknowledge the incredibly generous support from...

...the team from Smartwork Creative http://smartworkcreative.co.nz/

...and from Glyn Strange, The School for Young Writers. http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/

 

 

 

Comments

Updates 9

The books have arrived!

10/12/2015 at 12:23 PM

Dear supporters,

The books arrived from the printers yesterday and will be distributed over the next few days.

If you have any queries please contact Aida Children’s Fund [email protected] or phone Tariq at 0221704254. Please note the corrected phone number.

You need to pledge to see this update.

Thank you

26/09/2015 at 12:30 PM

Thank you for your pledge that has helped to make our campaign a success.

Every drop has contributed to the river.

Our book is now in final production stages with design work being finished, then comes final editing and proofreading before we can send it to the printers. We will be in touch again once the e-book is available and then again when the print version has arrived for distribution.

Thank you for your contribution to this international collaborative project. To keep in touch please like our facebook pages or sign up on our website.

kind regards

Heather, Tariq and the rest of the Rubies in the Dust team

http://aidachildrensfund.org/

https://www.facebook.com/aidachildrensfund?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/rubiesinthedustbook?fref=ts

Tariq wins scholarship to continue the work!

22/09/2015 at 4:14 PM

Great news from Tariq, who has flown up to Auckland to speak at the APAC health forum tomorrow. He has been granted a University of Canterbury Innovation Scholarship so that he can keep working on Rubies in the Dust and other Aida Children's Fund Projects. We are all very proud of him.

Please encourage your freinds and families to preorder a book on Pledge Me. With only three days left we have a steep last hill to climb. Thank you.

Same age Different country- Year 10 pupil makes a difference with library display.

20/09/2015 at 10:53 AM

Samantha ( Year 10) made this display in the library at Burnside High School. Samantha loves books and she is a wonderful poet. She is not being forced into marriage at 14 and denied a further education. She does not have to hide books beneath her clothing or worry about roadside bombs. Why not? Because Samantha lives in New Zealand, not Afghanistan. Thank you Samantha for making this display and sharing the message with others.

Fabulous Support from NZSA Children's Literature Hub organiser!

19/09/2015 at 7:12 PM

A huge thanks to Helen Mongillo - (New Zealand Society of Authors, Children's Literature Hub Organiser) for giving us a big plug today with an email out. This is what she said:

Rubies in the Dust - Voices from Afghanistan
A seed germinated in a NZSA Children's Literature Hub meeting this year. It sprouted into a heart felt collaboration. It grew into a combined mission. It bore the fruit of a book. ...
Consistent with the objectives of International PEN, with the current refugee and migrant crisis across the world, we need to share and hear the voices of those who have been made voiceless through war and poverty and oppression. 
Rubies in the Dust - Voices from Afghanistan is a collaborative project between Tariq Habibyar (Aida Children’s Fund) and Christchurch author and recent recipient of a CLA/NZSA study grant, Heather McQuillan. Tariq collected the stories from children and young people during a recent visit back to his home country, had them translated into English, and then went in search of a writer. Tariq met Heather at a Children's Literature Hub meeting. Heather’s work as a teacher and tutor at the School for Young Writers put her in good stead to rework the stories for publication, as well as compile discussion notes and develop resilience support material. Rubies in the Dust is aimed at readers aged 12 and up but will have relevance for guided reading with younger children too, with its stories about hope, courage and the value of education.

Inspired by Tariq and Heather's philanthropic efforts, book designers Smartwork Creative joined the team with a beautiful cover design. Heather and Tariq are almost ready to head to the printers with the first book in English and hopes for one in Persian to be distributed free to children in Afghanistan.

Would you get involved and support this Act of Kindness? You can do so by pre-ordering at https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/…/3933-book-rubies-in-the-dust-v…. Your support is essential to making the first print run a reality.

Another option for people wanting to get involved is to gift books to schools in the earthquake-affected Canterbury region.

Join the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rubiesinthedustbook for updates.

The Pledge Me campaign ends on Friday the 25th of September - only 7 more days! 41 Pledgers have brought Tariq and Heather over half way to their goal. Can you help make this a reality? If your heart is moved, please help spread the word.

Support from the book world!

17/09/2015 at 9:11 AM

We have had such an exciting week since our article appered in the Christchurch Press. We have a couple of independent bookshops keen to support us and our book designers have now gifted their studio time to complete the internal work. But we won't have the book without more pledges and preorders. We still need $2000 over the next week. Please tell a friend. 

Many thanks

Tariq and Heather

Tariq's video message

06/09/2015 at 1:27 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KpzeuSTSu4

Age Group for the book

04/09/2015 at 8:45 PM

I just had a great question- the book is aimed at age 12 to adult. Our main market will be teens.

Most of the stories are suitable for sharing with slightly younger children however there is one story that deals with issues that we feel need to be mediated by an adult, hence the older age group.

    Pledgers 68

    Annabelle Thompson
    25/09/2015 at 4:59pm
    Kathy Thompson
    25/09/2015 at 4:13pm
    Robyn Graham
    25/09/2015 at 4:00pm
    Julie
    25/09/2015 at 3:04pm

    "I am happy to support your work Tariq!!! So glad you can do this! "

    Anonymous pledger
    25/09/2015 at 2:19pm
    Anna Guenther
    25/09/2015 at 12:18pm
    Anonymous pledger
    25/09/2015 at 9:05am

    "A wonderful campaign. Looking forward to discussing the book in our group."

    Anonymous pledger
    24/09/2015 at 11:53pm

    "What a wonderful mission to be producing books of meaningful text for both girls and boys in Afghanistan to relate to and appreciate. . "

    Stefan Warnaar
    24/09/2015 at 10:33pm
    John Tuke
    24/09/2015 at 9:48pm
    Steve
    24/09/2015 at 7:54pm
    Dale J
    24/09/2015 at 7:24pm
    Anonymous pledger
    24/09/2015 at 2:37pm
    Tomo Takaku
    24/09/2015 at 10:50am
    Anonymous pledger
    24/09/2015 at 9:32am
    Pip Edinborough
    23/09/2015 at 3:32pm
    Melanie Dixon
    23/09/2015 at 2:05pm
    Lauren Steel
    22/09/2015 at 11:21pm
    Vicky Jones
    22/09/2015 at 9:13pm
    Kath Gray-van Olst
    22/09/2015 at 6:54pm
    Kath Fone
    21/09/2015 at 3:32pm
    Bill and Liz Baritompa
    20/09/2015 at 10:50am

    "Good work Tariq and Heather"

    Elizabeth Kirby
    20/09/2015 at 8:05am
    Jane Catherine Severn
    19/09/2015 at 7:00pm

    "This project is a wonderful way for humanity to become friends by getting to know and love each other no matter where we live. Thankyou."

    Sue Kingham
    19/09/2015 at 3:13pm

    "What a great project. I wish you well."

    Anonymous pledger
    19/09/2015 at 10:56am
    Beaulah Pragg
    19/09/2015 at 9:07am
    Vicki Jerome
    18/09/2015 at 9:25pm

    "Wonderful people, look forward to reading their stories... I so miss the Afghani refugee man who used to run the kebab shop in the food court at Westfield Riccarton."

    Malcolm
    18/09/2015 at 9:01pm

    "Great Work Tariq! You give many people inspiration!"

    Anonymous pledger
    18/09/2015 at 3:23pm

    "Wonderful plan"

    Followers 2

    Followers of Book: Rubies in the Dust- voices from Afghanistan

    Book: Rubies In The Dust- Voices From Afghanistan

    Project 2015-08-02 12:39:57 +1200

     Rubies in the Dust – voices from Afghanistan

    video message from Tariq

    The Press: Collaborative book highlights resilience of Afghan youth

    I was not given a choice where to be born and under what conditions,

    but I was given the choice to imagine better,”

    from the story Asil’s Imagination.

     

    With this book the Aida Children’s Fund has given some courageous young people a voice and a platform to become role models across the world. 

    We believe that all children need stories. They need stories of heroes and monsters, of adventure and fantasy. They also need stories that they can connect to, stories of courage and resilience and hope.

    Children and young people in Afghanistan rarely get the opportunity to share their stories, or even to read stories that resonate with their own experiences. Tariq Habiyar , founder of Aida Childrens Fund (NZ) has given some young people the chance to share their stories with the world and with each other.

    The first collection of these stories have been translated into English, and then retold by  New Zealand author and writing tutor, Heather McQuillan. The book also includes discussion and support notes for individuals, families and teachers.  Rubies in the Dust – voices from Afghanistan is almost ready for publication but we need you to help by ordering your own advance copies. Production and shipping costs of $4,000 need to be met to cover the first print run.

    We can imagine better too. Our goal is to have the stories translated back into Persian and distributed free to children in Afghanistan .

     There is an Afghan proverb:

    Qatra qatra darya maisha’ – ‘Drops of water make a river’

    You can be part of the river through your pledge. 

    Please see the Aida Children’s Fund website http://aidachildrensfund.org/for further ways that you can assist with our other projects of building schools and funding scholarships or watch this video of Tariq’s TEDx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cSNjhIFjFs

    We would like to acknowledge the incredibly generous support from...

    ...the team from Smartwork Creative http://smartworkcreative.co.nz/

    ...and from Glyn Strange, The School for Young Writers. http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/

     

     

     

    Comments

    The books have arrived!

    10/12/2015 at 12:23 PM

    Dear supporters,

    The books arrived from the printers yesterday and will be distributed over the next few days.

    If you have any queries please contact Aida Children’s Fund [email protected] or phone Tariq at 0221704254. Please note the corrected phone number.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    Thank you

    26/09/2015 at 12:30 PM

    Thank you for your pledge that has helped to make our campaign a success.

    Every drop has contributed to the river.

    Our book is now in final production stages with design work being finished, then comes final editing and proofreading before we can send it to the printers. We will be in touch again once the e-book is available and then again when the print version has arrived for distribution.

    Thank you for your contribution to this international collaborative project. To keep in touch please like our facebook pages or sign up on our website.

    kind regards

    Heather, Tariq and the rest of the Rubies in the Dust team

    http://aidachildrensfund.org/

    https://www.facebook.com/aidachildrensfund?fref=ts

    https://www.facebook.com/rubiesinthedustbook?fref=ts

    Tariq wins scholarship to continue the work!

    22/09/2015 at 4:14 PM

    Great news from Tariq, who has flown up to Auckland to speak at the APAC health forum tomorrow. He has been granted a University of Canterbury Innovation Scholarship so that he can keep working on Rubies in the Dust and other Aida Children's Fund Projects. We are all very proud of him.

    Please encourage your freinds and families to preorder a book on Pledge Me. With only three days left we have a steep last hill to climb. Thank you.

    Same age Different country- Year 10 pupil makes a difference with library display.

    20/09/2015 at 10:53 AM

    Samantha ( Year 10) made this display in the library at Burnside High School. Samantha loves books and she is a wonderful poet. She is not being forced into marriage at 14 and denied a further education. She does not have to hide books beneath her clothing or worry about roadside bombs. Why not? Because Samantha lives in New Zealand, not Afghanistan. Thank you Samantha for making this display and sharing the message with others.

    Fabulous Support from NZSA Children's Literature Hub organiser!

    19/09/2015 at 7:12 PM

    A huge thanks to Helen Mongillo - (New Zealand Society of Authors, Children's Literature Hub Organiser) for giving us a big plug today with an email out. This is what she said:

    Rubies in the Dust - Voices from Afghanistan
    A seed germinated in a NZSA Children's Literature Hub meeting this year. It sprouted into a heart felt collaboration. It grew into a combined mission. It bore the fruit of a book. ...
    Consistent with the objectives of International PEN, with the current refugee and migrant crisis across the world, we need to share and hear the voices of those who have been made voiceless through war and poverty and oppression. 
    Rubies in the Dust - Voices from Afghanistan is a collaborative project between Tariq Habibyar (Aida Children’s Fund) and Christchurch author and recent recipient of a CLA/NZSA study grant, Heather McQuillan. Tariq collected the stories from children and young people during a recent visit back to his home country, had them translated into English, and then went in search of a writer. Tariq met Heather at a Children's Literature Hub meeting. Heather’s work as a teacher and tutor at the School for Young Writers put her in good stead to rework the stories for publication, as well as compile discussion notes and develop resilience support material. Rubies in the Dust is aimed at readers aged 12 and up but will have relevance for guided reading with younger children too, with its stories about hope, courage and the value of education.

    Inspired by Tariq and Heather's philanthropic efforts, book designers Smartwork Creative joined the team with a beautiful cover design. Heather and Tariq are almost ready to head to the printers with the first book in English and hopes for one in Persian to be distributed free to children in Afghanistan.

    Would you get involved and support this Act of Kindness? You can do so by pre-ordering at https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/…/3933-book-rubies-in-the-dust-v…. Your support is essential to making the first print run a reality.

    Another option for people wanting to get involved is to gift books to schools in the earthquake-affected Canterbury region.

    Join the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rubiesinthedustbook for updates.

    The Pledge Me campaign ends on Friday the 25th of September - only 7 more days! 41 Pledgers have brought Tariq and Heather over half way to their goal. Can you help make this a reality? If your heart is moved, please help spread the word.

    Support from the book world!

    17/09/2015 at 9:11 AM

    We have had such an exciting week since our article appered in the Christchurch Press. We have a couple of independent bookshops keen to support us and our book designers have now gifted their studio time to complete the internal work. But we won't have the book without more pledges and preorders. We still need $2000 over the next week. Please tell a friend. 

    Many thanks

    Tariq and Heather

    Tariq's video message

    06/09/2015 at 1:27 PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KpzeuSTSu4

    Age Group for the book

    04/09/2015 at 8:45 PM

    I just had a great question- the book is aimed at age 12 to adult. Our main market will be teens.

    Most of the stories are suitable for sharing with slightly younger children however there is one story that deals with issues that we feel need to be mediated by an adult, hence the older age group.

      Annabelle Thompson
      25/09/2015 at 4:59pm
      Kathy Thompson
      25/09/2015 at 4:13pm
      Robyn Graham
      25/09/2015 at 4:00pm
      Julie
      25/09/2015 at 3:04pm

      "I am happy to support your work Tariq!!! So glad you can do this! "

      Anonymous pledger
      25/09/2015 at 2:19pm
      Anna Guenther
      25/09/2015 at 12:18pm
      Anonymous pledger
      25/09/2015 at 9:05am

      "A wonderful campaign. Looking forward to discussing the book in our group."

      Anonymous pledger
      24/09/2015 at 11:53pm

      "What a wonderful mission to be producing books of meaningful text for both girls and boys in Afghanistan to relate to and appreciate. . "

      Stefan Warnaar
      24/09/2015 at 10:33pm
      John Tuke
      24/09/2015 at 9:48pm
      Steve
      24/09/2015 at 7:54pm
      Dale J
      24/09/2015 at 7:24pm
      Anonymous pledger
      24/09/2015 at 2:37pm
      Tomo Takaku
      24/09/2015 at 10:50am
      Anonymous pledger
      24/09/2015 at 9:32am
      Pip Edinborough
      23/09/2015 at 3:32pm
      Melanie Dixon
      23/09/2015 at 2:05pm
      Lauren Steel
      22/09/2015 at 11:21pm
      Vicky Jones
      22/09/2015 at 9:13pm
      Kath Gray-van Olst
      22/09/2015 at 6:54pm
      Kath Fone
      21/09/2015 at 3:32pm
      Bill and Liz Baritompa
      20/09/2015 at 10:50am

      "Good work Tariq and Heather"

      Elizabeth Kirby
      20/09/2015 at 8:05am
      Jane Catherine Severn
      19/09/2015 at 7:00pm

      "This project is a wonderful way for humanity to become friends by getting to know and love each other no matter where we live. Thankyou."

      Sue Kingham
      19/09/2015 at 3:13pm

      "What a great project. I wish you well."

      Anonymous pledger
      19/09/2015 at 10:56am
      Beaulah Pragg
      19/09/2015 at 9:07am
      Vicki Jerome
      18/09/2015 at 9:25pm

      "Wonderful people, look forward to reading their stories... I so miss the Afghani refugee man who used to run the kebab shop in the food court at Westfield Riccarton."

      Malcolm
      18/09/2015 at 9:01pm

      "Great Work Tariq! You give many people inspiration!"

      Anonymous pledger
      18/09/2015 at 3:23pm

      "Wonderful plan"

      Followers of Book: Rubies in the Dust- voices from Afghanistan

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 25/09/2015 at 8:00 PM.