Watertown Students Collected Items to Help Children in Afghanistan

Large plastic bags filled with T-shirts, scarves, sweatshirts and other items are piled up in the main office at Watertown High School, waiting to be shipped overseas to help the U.S. military reach out to locals.

The items were collected by students in the high school’s English as a Second Language program, but they need help raising money to mail the items to Afghanistan, said Beth Wissler, a student teacher in the program who helped organize the drive.

The class, which is made up of students from around the globe, read a story that highlighted the efforts by soldiers from the U.S. Army in Afghanistan to reach out to local children.

“The children are running up to them and want to get to know them,” Wissler said.

The piece, which appeared in the Boston Globe, mentioned Operation Outreach, which seeks clothing and supplies for soldiers to give to Afghan children. The class quickly jumped on board, Wissler said

WHS sophomore David Haghdadi said the idea caught on because many students in the ESL class feel a connection to the children in Afghanistan.

“The way I think of it, we are from different countries in Asia, Europe, South America, and we understand these people have problems,” said Haghdadi, who moved to the U.S. 3.5 years ago from Iran. “We know these people better than anyone else.”

Many students in Watertown High School are Armenian, either from Armenia, or other countries in that region – Syria, Turkey, and Russia. Others in the class come from Central and South America, including Brazil, and a student recently moved to the school from Haiti, Wissler said.

The drive was successful, in large part, due to the efforts of Haghdadi, Wissler said. He went from room to room asking his fellow WHS students to help the supply drive. Many responded with school supplies and clothes.

Along with the clothing, the group collected school supplies – mostly paper, pens and pencils. The recently sent four boxes full of supplies, which they shipped with a small grant they got from Hanscom Air Force Base, Wissler said.

The bags and bags of clothing, however, will need at least 15 boxes, Haghdadi estimates. These will cost more because they are larger and bulkier. Wissler has not gotten an estimate, but expects they will need some help.

“We are looking to the public for some help deferring the cost of shipping,” Wissler said.

Those interested in helping can contact Watertown High School at 617-926-7760 and ask for ESL teacher Siran Tamakian.