FutureGenerations/Graduate School
To Research, To Demonstrate, To Teach – How Communities Change
17 October 2009
TRUSTEES
James M. Brasher III
New York, NY
William Carmichael
Chairman
Greenwich, CT
Peter Ide
Tunis, Tunisia
Bettye Musham
New York, NY
David Schwimmer
Moscow, Russia
Daniel Taylor
Franklin, WV
Caroline Van
Hong Kong, China
Flora MacDonald
Trustee Emeritus
Ottawa, Canada
GRADUATE SCHOOL
TRUSTEES
Christopher Cluett
Chairman
Seattle, WA
Michael Stranahan
Aspen, CO
Anne Petersen
Stanford, CA
Patricia Rosenfield
New York, NY
Daniel Taylor
Franklin, WV
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Honorable Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatemi, Minister
Ministry of Public Health
Government of Afghanistan
Dear Honorable Minister:
Future Generations was very pleased to have the opportunity to serve as a host to Dr. Said Habib
Arwal, Coordinator for Community-based Primary Care of the Ministry of Public Health, during
his recent trip to the United States. As you know, Dr. Arwal had been invited to speak at the
annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) during its annual workshop on
community-based primary health care (CBPHC), sponsored by the Working Group on CPBHC of
the International Health Section of APHA.
While at the meeting, Dr. Arwal was able to meet many people from around the world who are
working in public health including Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American
Public Health Association.
Dr. Arwal made a presentation to a group of students and faculty at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and he also had the opportunity to meet with
high-level officials at the United States Agency for International Development and the State
Department.
Dr. Arwal is a passionate advocate for community-based primary health care, and he effectively
conveyed his own good will and the good will of the Afghanistan government in working with the
people of Afghanistan to strengthen community programs and services which involve the people
and which reach down to the village level. He gave outstanding presentations describing the
work of the Ministry of Public Health and its recent efforts to strengthen community-based
services. On the following page are some pictures of his recent trip.
My colleagues and I are not aware of any other ministry of public health in the world that has an
office on Community-based Health Care. I want to commend you, Dr. Arwal, and your
government for taking the leadership in establishing this office. We hope that your actions will
serve as a model for other ministries of health around the world.
We at Future Generations and at Johns Hopkins look forward to continuing our collaboration
with you, with Dr. Arwal, and with others to strengthen community-based health care in
Afghanistan.
Sincerely,
Thomas Acker, S.J.
Dean
Victor Arrington
Executive Vice
President
Casey Mallinckrodt
Vice President of
Advocacy
Daniel Taylor
President
Henry B. Perry, MD, PhD, MPH
Carl Taylor Professor for Equity and Empowerment
and Senior Associate, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health,
Johns Hopkins University
Following the presentation at the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on November 7, 2009
Dr. Said Habib Arwal (second from right) with Dr. Diana Silimperi, Vice-President of Management Sciences
for Health (far left and Coordinator of the Workshop on CBPHC), Dr. Henry Perry (second from right,
Professor at Future Generations and Senior Associate at Johns Hopkins University) and Dr. Paul Freeman,
Chairperson, Working Group on CBPHC of the International Health Section of APHA
Following the presentation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore,
Maryland, on November 11, 2009
Dr. Said Habib Arwal (third from right) with Dr. Gilbert Burnham, Professor of International Health (to Dr.
Arwal’s right), Dr. Carl Taylor, Professor Emeritus of International Health (to Dr. Burnham’s right), Dr.
Henry Perry, Professor at Future Generations and Senior Associate at Johns Hopkins (to Dr. Arwal’s left),
and students