I . K . S
About Us
The Story of International Kindness Sharing (IKS) Foundation:
This project began years ago, in a freezing and snowy winter in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Ahrar family, when Kindness Sharing Project’s Chief Executive Officer, Alaha Ahrar as a child saw a child with bare feet begging for food in wintry Kabul. On that day, the Ahrar family supported Ms. Alaha Ahrar to help needy people. “That day, that child, and that emotional moment are unforgettable for me because she was my age. I was in tears all the way home and asked my parents countless questions. Then and there, I decided to help people in need of food, clothes, shoes, and household items and my family promised to support me. Very soon, the Ahrar family started the International Kindness Sharing (IKS), Khawaja Ahmad Sayed, Alaha Ahrar, and the whole family started feeding hungry orphans. They started with one and two orphans, but very soon they reached to feeding ten orphans per day. “As a high school student, I began volunteering with international organizations, such as Peace X Peace USA and Youthgas of Australia.”
After graduating high school, Alaha Ahrar won the talent scholarship of the University of Mary Washington. When Ms. Ahrar came to the US to study at the University of Mary Washington for her BA, she decided to work a part-time job as an international student on campus, she donated some of her paycheck to needy families, especially orphans in Afghanistan. “Besides my classes, I worked 5 hours every day at the university’s Admissions Office, earning $ 7.50 per hour. My wages from Monday till Thursday belonged to me, but my Friday earnings were set aside for poor families and orphans.”
Ms. Alaha Ahrar graduated with a triple major in Human Rights, Political Science, and International Affairs, and a certificate in middle studies. Subsequently, Ms. Ahrar completed her Master’s Degree in Social Justice and Human Rights programs at George Mason University. Ms. Ahrar is fluent in Persian (Dari, Farsi), Pashtu, Urdu, and Hindi, as well as a basic knowledge of Spanish and Arabic.
“My dream was to work for an international organization to help underprivileged people.” Ms. Ahrar started working as a Human Rights Activist and Community Development Advocate for three years and helped many parents, their children, single adults, senior citizens, and mostly individuals who suffered the effects of poverty so often unnoticed in Fairfax County. Ms. Ahrar worked with them to end the cycle of poverty through educational, life skills, and career counseling programs. In the meantime, Ms. Ahrar has been serving on the board of the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, and she has been working as the Director of the Youth Team for International World Poetry, Canada.
Ms. Ahrar states, “no one should have to live in extreme poverty and suffer due to lack of shelter, food, education or be in fear of being sold and trafficked.” With its founders’ educational background, Kindness Sharing is dedicated to helping those in need.
When Ms. Ahrar was working as a Community Development Advocate supporting people in need. “Many clients would talk about how they were trafficked or smuggled and then they would cry, but they would never let anyone else know about it. I learned that there are very limited resources and not many organizations to help the survivors of human trafficking. I soon enrolled in a Master’s Degree Program in Social Justice and Human Rights to assist and support the survivors of human trafficking, and victims of other human rights violations, while gaining knowledge and firsthand experience to change lives. I still set aside hours every week to earn money to help orphans in need Nesar Ahmad Bahawi, Afghanistan’s Country Director of Kindness Sharing, Husna Ahrar, the treasurer, Hasina Ziayee is the Operations Officer, Rabia Ahrar and Khawaja Ahmad Sayed Ahrar with all board members routinely work countless hours to support the goal and mission of Kindness Sharing. We still need to do more. “The suffering I see in Northern Virginia, in Afghanistan, and around the world tears at my heart. My family and I have been blessed, and our faith calls us to give back. My family supported me, and I talked with some friends, teachers, and mentors, and then this project was reinvigorated under the rules of IRS 501 © 3 an international non-profit organization.” Here in Northern Virginia, and also in Afghanistan, we are especially concerned with widows, orphans, needy parents with their children, adults, and seniors with special needs and disabilities, new arrivals in the USA, and the victims and survivors of human smuggling, human trafficking, and domestic violence, they all need our collective action and help.
