Not much, but here is the latest. Please continue to pray for Cyd Mizell.
Latest News Statement from ARLDF.NET
NEWS FEED: We've been gratified by the outpouring of support and interest in the welfare of our employees, aid workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, who were abducted in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on the morning of Jan. 26.
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UPDATE: Friday, Feb. 1
We want to express our thanks to those who have offered words of support for ARLDF workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi.
Mizell and Hadi were abducted at gunpoint on the morning of Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We will continue to update this web site as new information on their situation becomes available.
Update on Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, Jan. 30, 2008
We still have no contact with ARLDF workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi or with those responsible.
Mizell and Hadi were taken captive in Kandahar, Afghanistan, by a group of unidentified gunmen the morning of Jan. 26.
The silence of those responsible has not diminished our hope that Mizell and Hadi will soon be freed.
Mizell, 49, has worked with ARLDF for nearly three years, helping women and families with income-generating projects. She also teaches English at a high school and embroidery lessons at a girls school.
In addition to teaching, Mizell has tried to meet some of the needs of the homeless "tent people" – migrants from drought-stricken areas of Afghanistan who have moved to Kandahar. Their poverty and hunger moved her, particularly the women and girls who seldom, if ever, left the dirty, torn tents they called home.
"She did not go to Afghanistan out of any need for adventure," said a friend. "She just wanted to go where the need was greatest and where she could be of the most service."
Muhammad Hadi has served as an ARLDF driver for two years. The father of five, Hadi is described as quiet and unassuming but very protective of the employees he works with. ARLDF employees in Kandahar are visiting Hadi’s family daily and seeing that they are provided for during this crisis.
ARLDF is a humanitarian development organization with offices in the Philippines and Thailand that works throughout Asia helping to provide a better quality of life for the poorest of the poor, mainly through community development projects. ARLDF works in about 12 Asian countries, with most of its programs focusing on small-scale efforts. In the Kandahar area, ARLDF personnel work in education and projects that help people learn skills to better their lives and the lives of their families. Aid efforts in the region also include food-for-work projects, irrigation, rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects.
Update on Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, Jan. 29, 2008
As many people around the world express concern for the safety of Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, authorities in Afghanistan continue searching for the two Asian Rural Life Development Foundation workers.
Mizell and Hadi were kidnapped by armed gunmen in the Kandahar area early Jan. 26. Neither they nor their kidnappers have contacted the foundation.
Mizell, 49, has worked with ARLDF for nearly three years, helping women and families with income-generating projects. She also teaches English at a high school and embroidery lessons at a girl's school and speaks the local language fluently.
Muhammad Hadi has served as an ARLDF driver for two years. Known by colleagues as a "kind, loving man," he is the father of five children: three girls and two boys, ages 6 to 15. ARLDF officials confirmed Jan. 29 that Hadi’s family is being visited daily and provided for during this crisis.
ARLDF staff remain hopeful that Mizell and Hadi will be freed safely and continue to work with authorities to resolve the situation.
A news report Jan. 29 said hundreds of Afghan women demonstrated in southern Kandahar province today to protest the abduction of Mizell and ask for her immediate release. They described the abduction as a violation of Islamic and Afghan values and urged the government to step up efforts to secure her release. They also called on tribal elders to use their influence to gain her freedom. This article may be found at http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8dGftYb0s4XWdUMRdIVs3vh1CKAD8UFFSF00
Friends in the United States describe Mizell as a very caring person. "She is quiet but very strong," said one. "She enjoys the simple pleasures of life."
Another friend noted she is always willing to volunteer and help any way she can. "She has a heart for others," he said.
Some wonder: Why would a foreigner like Mizell live and work in one of the most dangerous regions of a country at war?
"Because she cares," responds Jeff Palmer, international director of ARLDF. "She loves the people of Afghanistan, and she has devoted her life to meeting their needs and helping them rebuild their nation, which has experienced violence and suffering for many years."
Others have asked why Mizell wasn’t traveling with heavy security, as many aid workers do – particularly those who work with the government in major building projects. Mizell, however, worked with women, students and families, relating to Afghan people one on one. It was not practical or effective for her to travel everywhere with armed guards.
Mizell has won the admiration of many people in Kandahar for her work with them. Mohammad Gull, a professor at Kandahar University, described her as "a very patient and calm woman" who was "always thinking about Afghanistan's future." Kandahar’s provincial governor, Asadullah Khalid, said she "trusted the Afghan nation and respected them."
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