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WADAN Awarded the Honorable Ghazi Mir Masjadi Khan Medal, May 14, 2006, for Work in Grassroots Democracy

"The Honorable Ghazi Mir Masjadi Khan Medal”, one of Afghanistan’s highest honors was awarded on May 14, 2006 to the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan (WADAN) for work in grassroots democracy by a decree from President Karzai. It was presented to Mohammad Nasib, Managing Director of WADAN, by His Majesty, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Father of the Nation in Haram Sarai Palace, Kabul. A dozen WADAN staff members were also in attendance.

The award ceremony took place in a unique place in the presidential palace compound known as "The Royal Haram Sarai Palace". This small residential palace stands in a shady courtyard with a fountain as its centerpiece. Inside it is decorated with golden-edged miniature paintings of hunting scenes and a marble fireplace inlaid with Zahir Shah's name inscribed in the Dari language. This is where the former king Mohammad Zahir Shah and his family members live in Kabul.

Among those attending the ceremony were Mr. Richard B. Norland, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Kabul, Mr. Angus T. Simmons, counselor for Political Affairs at US Embassy, Ms. Lianne Stephens, representative from the British Embassy, and Mr. Fazlullah Wahidi, Chairman Afghan NGOs Coordination Bureau (ANCB).

In civic education projects, WADAN has trained 15,000 local leaders across the country in issues such as peace, national unity, democracy, human rights, elections, drug control and the negative impacts of terrorism and extremism. We expect to train around 5,000 additional local leaders in the year 2006.