Noshaq, a nonprofit organization formed by Southern Adventist University student Luther Whiting, invites the community to A Night In Afghanistan in downtown Chattanooga April 3 at 6 p.m.
“Noshaq started right here in the Chattanooga area, and as a neighbor living in the community I’d like to encourage everyone to get acquainted with us and what we’re doing in Afghanistan,” said the 22-year-old founder, president and college student. “Afghanistan is a real country with real people and real needs – it’s not just a political agenda. We’re trying to bring just a little taste of Afghanistan to Chattanooga’s doorstep.”
Southern Adventist University student Luther Whiting, right, pictured with guard Atiqullah in Afghanistan will host A Night In Afghanistan April 3 to introduce Chattanoogans to his nonprofit Noshaq, which helps rural villages in Afghanistan develop better futures for residents.The themed fundraiser at The Mill will feature authentic Afghan cuisine and a silent art auction while introducing Noshaq’s mission. Founded in 2009, the organization is designed to empower rural and struggling economies in Afghanistan through the development of agriculture, infrastructure and sustainable small businesses, Whiting said. He said he became acquainted with these needs when touring the country as a high school student while his parents worked in various clinics.
Whiting is now taking a yearlong sabbatical from college classes to get his organization’s first project off its feet.
Noshaq will begin by helping a small mountain village, Khermanuk, located in the Badakshan Province in northeast Afghanistan. The village is located nearly 3,200 feet up the side of the Hindu Kush mountain range. The village can only be reached by foot, following a mountainous trail up and down 4,000 feet of elevation over the course of four miles.
“The first time I went to Afghanistan I thought I’d find a war zone, and there was that element, but I also found something quite different. I found a beautiful country with mountains, rivers and lakes and a lot of beautiful people I got to know and love,” Whiting said.
In 2005, the village, which was located higher up on the mountain, was destroyed in a landslide caused by an earthquake. Khermanuk was rebuilt farther down in the valley, but the residents have very few resources and live mostly on money sent home by young village men who join the army to fight against the Taliban, Whiting said.
His overall goal through Noshaq is to raise the funds necessary to build an access road to the mountain village. He also hopes to start a bee farm for a new honey industry, creating supplemental income for the village. Another important project is planning efficient terrace farming with better irrigation for the 12 acres of viable farm land that must feed 100 families.
“The road is going to be built using hand tools with villagers as the labor,” said Whiting, who hopes to begin construction of the access road this May and will stay for three months over the summer to help with the projects. “We’ll have 100 villagers helping. We also hope to get their first bee boxes set up.”
Whiting is hosting various fundraising and informative events around Chattanooga to increase awareness about Noshaq and the needs of Afghani villages. To complete all the projects planned for Khermanuk, Whiting will need to raise $75,000, with about $24,000 of the total going toward the access road construction.
For more information on Noshaq or the fundraiser, call 615-9227 or visit www.noshaq.org.