9/ll Widows Turn Tragedy into Triumph

Half a world lies between the green suburbs of Boston and the dusty slums of Kabul. But that distance seems insignificant as Patti and Susan meet Sahera and Sadiqa for the first time, in a one-room home in the Afghan capital. The four women, two American and two Afghan, already share a deep bond; one of shared tragedy and hope, forged in the ashes of September 11, 2001.

Patti Quigley and Susan Retik both lost their husbands, aboard two jets hijacked in Boston on 9/11. Sahera and Sadiqa (like many Afghans, they have no last names) lost theirs, who were brothers, in the years of warfare that tore apart Afghanistan.

 As far as the two Americans are concerned, all four were widowed in the same war. “We are all sisters,” Susan says, as the women hug. “Our countries may be very different, but we know you love your children just as we do, and you want the same things for them.”

But the world has not treated them alike. American survivors of 9/11 were overwhelmed with support, both emotional and financial, from friends and strangers alike. Afghan widows, living in a society where women are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, are often destitute. Patti and Susan, determined that some good should come of their loss, started Beyond the 11th, a foundation dedicated to helping change that disparity.

With the support of Beyond the 11th and other donors, CARE’s Humanitarian Assistance to the Women of Afghanistan (HAWA) program reaches some 10,000 women in Kabul’s poorest districts. Initially focused on distributing food to widows and their families, HAWA has since expanded to include income generation activities, literacy training and savings and loan groups, all with the goal of helping women move beyond dependence.

Patti and Susan’s generosity goes toward one of CARE’s most promising initiatives in Afghanistan; giving women the skills and start-up capital to become small-scale poultry producers. Grants from Beyond the 11th totaling $175,000 have helped provide chicks, feed, training and veterinary care to some of the more than 2,000 women enrolled in the program so far.