Taliban Seizes Santa Barbara Run Afghan Dental Relief Project
By the Afghanistan Dental Relief Project (ADRP)
The Taliban Government has closed the Afghanistan Dental Relief Project in Kabul and seized the land given to the project by the former Afghan Government. The dental project has provided free dental care for over 200,000 poor Afghans during its twenty years of operation.
President and founder of the project, Santa Barbara-based dentist Dr. James Rolfe, originally went to Afghanistan in 2003 and found residents who were dying because they could not access dental care. He returned to Santa Barbara and constructed a modern three-chair dental clinic in a 40-foot shipping container, completely self-contained with its own generator, and sent it to Afghanistan.
He hired an Afghan dentist and nurse and trained them to use it, and started a school to train dental technicians from poor young Kabul residents. Dr. Rolfe continued to build more dental clinics from shipping containers during the following years, going there many times during the last twenty years.
Taliban officials have forcibly closed the clinic a month ago, preventing its four dentists and technical staff members from treating the hundreds of poor Kabul residents from accessing it. Closure of the Kabul Stomatology Hospital, which employed twenty-five dentists and treated nearly a thousand patients a day, has forced thousands of poor Kabul residents to access the free services of the dental project, but now this option is no longer available.
The Taliban are forcing the project off the land, violating its contract to use the land for free, and demanding that the project relocate elsewhere. No other land or support has been offered to help with the relocation, which is estimated to take six months and cost over $10,000. In addition, the project must find a way to support the staff during the relocation period.
When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, repressive actions were taken to remove basic human rights for Afghan citizens. This caused philanthropic nations and organizations to withdraw financial support for Afghanistan, and resulted in three-fourths of the Afghan fiscal budged disappearing. As a result, many hospitals and other basic services of the government have ceased to be available to the Afghan people. Now, even though the dental project still tries to serve the people, that has been made impossible. The project is faced now with finding new land which it must rent, in addition to moving expenses and costs of supporting its staff during the transition.
Afghans face ninety percent food insecurity. Most are unemployed. Now the poor will have no access to free them from the pain of dental problems. The dental project can only continue if people come forward to support the relocation of the facility. Please help. To become a monthly supporter or to donate, go to the website https://www.adrpinc.org/ and select “DONATE”, Or contact Dr. Rolfe at his Santa Barbara office, adrp@verizon.net or 805-963-2329.
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46 Comments
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Feb 09, 2023 11:36 AMIt's just the way that I feel about it, but in my opinion, Afghanistan is a lost cause. I think any monies/supplies that are sent their to halp "the people" is not going to get to said people. At best, the people of Afghanistan will get the leftovers that are not confiscated by the Taliban and other bad actors. That's just the way it is, has been, and will be for generations to come. Great, wonderful people living under butchers who will kill you for crazy "reasons." No, I do not plan to donate, assist, or promote the Taliban in any shape, form, or manner. I respect those of you who do not agree with me, so allow me to have a differing opinion than yourselves. Blessings to you all on this Glorius Day!!!
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Feb 09, 2023 09:18 AMAs founder of the project, I went to Afghanistan myself in 2003 and found the country and people without technical infrastructure or a viable economy. I could not even start a clinic there to help people, as there was nothing there to do that. So I returned to Santa Barbara and converted a 40-foot shipping container into a modern three-chair dental clinic and sent it there with 80,000 pounds of supplies and other equipment. Then I trained dentists and young Afghans to work in in the clinics as I continued to build them. The lack of technical infrastructure and economy could have been the main focus of the U.S. Government, as it would have given Afghans the ability to create their own economy, but instead we invaded Iraq with our resources and supported the Military Industrial Complex with a trillion dollars so that we could "defeat the Taliban". But this only made things worse, and now Afghans are faced with starvation with no recourse. Please help my project to make life there a little more tolerable.
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Feb 09, 2023 09:08 AMI'm fine with a unvarnished look at history, colonialism, slavery etc but am not interested at all in putting up with Soviet style revisionist history either. (For example of this, go to Russian Media Monitor. The Russians are saying the entire west joined the Nazis to fight against mother russia in WWII, they are ignoring that the USA gave them enormous assistance and that most of Europe fought the Nazi's)
The first nations were not all peaceful living in harmony with the earth, the Africans were enslaving each other, Afghanistan was a mess before it was Afghanistan. Racism isn't the private playground of white people. If you go to Asia, Africa you will be called racial slurs. Colonialism was exploitive and people in the 15, 16, 17, 18 19, 20th century were still getting to know each other
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Feb 08, 2023 10:01 PMBlaming the west ignores that the Afghan tribes were at war with each other for centuries before the British showed up in the 1800's. Forwarding to the Reagan era, the main mover in Congressional funding of the anti-soviet effort was Democrat Charlie Wilson. I think Charlie Wilson's war was made into a movie too, but I highly recommend reading the book instead. Wilson was quite a character
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Feb 08, 2023 09:53 PMAfghanistan itself is not a really a nation in the way the western world envisions. It is a cobbled together mess of tribes and warlords who have been viciously fighting each other for centuries before the British showed up. They still take and hold slaves, gladly living stone age life with 1990's weapons
Afghanistan is really a mash up of Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkman, Baluch, Pachaie, Nuristani, Aymaq, Arab, Qirghiz, Qizilbash, Gujur, Brahwui etc The Taliban are the warrior extremist fundamental islamists Pashtun that follow the Pashtun code according to their own interpretation. They "don't need no stinkin' badges" because they run by their own set of rules. They are perfectly comfortable being the buttheads who would throw acid in little girls faces for learning to read because their religionist influenced code somehow says that is the perfect way to handle the blasphemy of girls learning to read
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Feb 08, 2023 01:29 PMAlex - because that is your point not mine, sheesh. My point is that the Taliban did some good in the country after the Russian left by eliminating some of the violence spanned by the warlords. But their good deeds did not last very long.
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Feb 08, 2023 09:50 PMYour point is ridiculous and false.
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Feb 08, 2023 09:09 AMFor those misinformed, try reading some nonfiction about Afghanistan - like The American War in Afghanistan: A History by Carter Malkasian (2021). The Taliban originally formed as a force to reign in chaos and violence created by the departure of the Russians. They did it the Afgan way, which was oppressive and not by our democratic standards. Things have only gotten worse since then. I knew a group here that several years ago went to Afghanistan with cosmetic supplies to help their women. I imagine that charity effort got shut down too.
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Feb 08, 2023 10:24 AMSBZZ--
Why do you leave out the act that the early Taliban and almost all of the Taliban leadership was comprised of the approximately 90k Mujahadeen who were armed and trained by Pakistan at US direction to fight a proxy war against the Soviets during Operation Cyclone funneling captured Soviet made weapons and later US manufactured Stingers? Weird.
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Feb 08, 2023 07:25 AMLet the Taliban do as they wish. It's none of our business if they want to live in 700AD. Western Nations have tried to intercede with nothing but FAILURE... Move on. Stop wringing your hands and focus on all the problems contained in the U.S.
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Feb 08, 2023 12:50 AMI donated three autoclaves to this project twelve years ago, and I've always felt pride that in my small way I helped many people that the clinic provided dental care for. Dr Rolfe told me that the lack of access to dentistry was so extreme that every day his staff literally saved a life. Now, it is worse. Rather than look to blame for the situation , "look for the helpers."
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Feb 07, 2023 09:51 PMDr. Rolfe is a national treasure. He embodies the kindness and cooperation that is much needed in our world. Please support his efforts.
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Feb 07, 2023 09:24 PMBlaming a President for "creating" crazy religious nuts in Afghanistan overlooks centuries of religious tribalism. The Taliban have put a lot of effort into being who they are today
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Feb 08, 2023 09:05 AMDo you even have a job? Or are you just a taker.
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Feb 08, 2023 08:29 AMwow 9:15, just wow. It's amazing what people will believe, more amazing is what people will ignore to maintain those misbeliefs.
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Feb 07, 2023 09:51 PMThe Orange Moron created the chaotic situation, not the Taliban. Reagan stoked their furnaces long ago to get at the Soviets.
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Feb 07, 2023 08:39 PMLet's show we are caring, connected human beings and bury the political hatchet! Support this desperately needed effort. This has nothing to do with your grievances and everything to do with your heart/humanity.
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Feb 07, 2023 06:19 PMNo religion should be in charge of government. They invariably go after their competitors. The Buddhists in SE Asia are attacking Muslims. Jews and Muslims are always at it in Palestine. Hindu's are destroying alternate religious sites in India. Christians have a long history of violent "crusades" against other religions and even in Christianity the differing sects have spent decades trying to kill the others. Same with Sunni and Shia. The Founding Fathers understood this. Yet today we are facing a demand from some that we create a Christian White Nation. People, please walk away from any claim of "truth" and "eternal knowledge." Remember that the Zoroastrians felt they had the final enlightenment and what happened to them.
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Feb 07, 2023 02:55 PMThe project was started in 2003 to help develop the technical infrastructure and economy but no support was given by the U.S. Government. Portable clinics, generators, buses for outreach were all either destroyed in burn pits or abandoned. USAID refused to participate. The project grew because individuals around the world saw the crisis and volunteered to help. The need there is even more critical now, due to the extremely poor population and lack of government services. People have no options and must suffer unless the clinics can reopen on new land.
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Feb 07, 2023 02:23 PMAsk your president for help. He created the mess.
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Feb 09, 2023 05:09 PM"Where do I say that Biden "CAUSED" the Taliban to take Afgan. over ?????" - FOND, oh Fondy Fonda Fond.... you really are something.
"Causation is CLEAR in my comparison between the "wonderful" Biden time and the "Horrible" Trump time" and "As for "free pass": It is BIDEN who gave the Talibans and Poutin a free pass!" - FONDOFSB 2 2 FEB 08, 2023 02:23 PM
LOL
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Feb 09, 2023 05:05 PM"Biden destroyed and changed everything that Trump had done or set-up." - that's a good thing.
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Feb 09, 2023 04:41 PMOh My God, stop your crying. The whining is like nails on a chalkboard. Meeehhhh Biden Bad! You're exactly like the morons who think Trump caused every ill on the planet.
Grow up man.
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Feb 09, 2023 04:39 PMSacjon: As usual you simply do NOT understand what you read!
Try to find one of your woke friend who understands more and can explain it to you.
Where do I say that Biden "CAUSED" the Taliban to take Afgan. over ????? Go find it !
Biden "ALLOWED" by his ineffectiveness, lack of vision, lack of intelligence the Talibans to take Afghanistan over. And this is undeniable!
Remember what Robert Gates , from the Obama/Biden administration said about him:
"Biden has been on the WRONG SIDE" of EVERY geo-politic situation!
Keep admiring him!
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Feb 09, 2023 04:33 PM@ 6157 : Biden destroyed and changed everything that Trump had done or set-up.
He WAS the "buck stops here" and should and could changed anything he wanted or so chose to.
He was simply to idiotic to realize that pulling the military FIRST was the most moronic thing he could do there.
Just read the opinion the WHOLE U.K. parliament enunciated on his "extremely successful" debacle !
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Feb 09, 2023 08:53 AMour president has nothing to do with this, so drop it. some of you are so narrow minded that it's mind numbing to the rest of us. it's the same as saying he controls gas prices. just dumb...maybe if you understood how things worked in the real world vs your two dimensional internet world. Afghanistan was a target going back several presidencies. Clinton launched a missile strike. Bush SR launched one. Bush JR launched a war there. Obama pulled some out, Trump pulled more out and during the rough and destructive changing of presidents, leaving Biden with what others created. He didn't pull the trigger, he stepped into a mess that was already existing and if you care to challenge me on this, show facts. I know the facts as I've lived it.
All of that is irrelevant as the Taliban will always rule Afghanistan, that's also fact. That's their land, their laws, their ways and not for us to intervene. We have our own problems and other countries that actually want our help. Ukraine.
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Feb 09, 2023 08:47 AMok i'll bite, how did THE President of the USA create this mess. Please explain in full detail.
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Feb 08, 2023 09:22 PMBlaming Biden for the current state of Afghanistan must be the most simple-minded idiocy I've ever heard from a con. I mean imagine for a moment how complex and troubled Afghan history has been. Billions and billions spent by 4 presidents, 2 from each party. Decades of ethnic and tribal conflict and resentment. Soviet invasion and occupation for a decade (79-89) followed by civil war and rule by Islamic theocracy. Then you blame it on someone who's been president for 2 years? Downright silly.
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Feb 08, 2023 06:14 PMClearly, FONDO and others of that ilk are unaware of the facts surrounding the Afghanistan debacle:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/10/13/trump-ordered-rapid-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-after-election-loss/
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
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Feb 08, 2023 05:29 PMIf you had been following along at the time, before it was distorted into a con cause celebre, you would have known that it was the Orange Moron who threw everything into chaos by announcing a pullout deadline without consulting the military.
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Feb 08, 2023 05:10 PMAlex 9:14 :
There were already only 2500 troops left in Afghan under Trump. And the Talibans were NOT in control. You can look at the "advance" of the Talibans over time: they were nowhere when Trump left and started moving as soon as Biden announced that all would by gone by Aug 31!
Educate yourself before posting nonsense!
The US troops were in the totally secure Bagram base which Biden ABANDONNED to the Talibans .
Those troops left there, with 87 billions of state of the art weaponry (which Biden ABANDONNED to the Talibans) were more than enough to keep the talibans at bay, as they were and had been under the Trump administration;
Is it up to the Afghans to organise their country? OF COURSE, but with the Taliban takeover: it'll never happen!
Ask the Afghan women and young girls what their miserable status is now!
Strangely enough, NOBODY seems concerned about this now which is a DISGRACE for this country and its administration!
Proud for Biden to have allowed that, right ?
And the withdrawal was not "handled poorly": it was an utter catastrophe.
It was denounced as such by the whole U.K. parliament, the closest and staunchest allies of the US.
Read the international press at the time: all western countries were appalled by what Biden did there!
Biden took the military out FIRST and left the civilians and Afghan US helpers to their sorry (and often massacred state). Only an idi*t would do that! What did he "think" was going to happen after he left Afghan. to be taken over by those Middle-Ages terrorists?
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Feb 08, 2023 03:52 PMThese people who constantly post querulous comments based on their existence in bubbles of extremist con social media, with their distorted views of the real world, inspire visions of Don Ho: "Tiny bubbles, in the whine...".
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Feb 08, 2023 02:33 PMFOND - if you truly think Biden "caused" the Taliban to take over Afghanistan, I can't help you. Your world view is distorted and uninformed. I'm not going to teach you the history of the region. You're wrong, not only about your belief that you understand the difference between the 2 words, but also in your overall understanding of world history. That's all.
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Feb 08, 2023 02:24 PM0130: the hateful and delusional is Joe !
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Feb 08, 2023 02:23 PMSac: as usual you're showing you don't get it!
Causation is CLEAR in my comparison between the "wonderful" Biden time and the "Horrible" Trump time.
And I could have added: 1.4 % inflation vs. 8 % with Joe; Fentanyl invasion and crimes way up since Joe, 3 millions "undocumented" PER YEAR since Biden!
As for "free pass": It is BIDEN who gave the Talibans and Poutin a free pass!
July 8 2012 : "I don't expect the Talibans to take Afghanistan over" (Your hero Joe Biden). August 15 2021 it's all over!
Putin was the same evil 4 years ago as he is now! So WHY didn't he invade Ukraine back then? Because he knew Trump would not let it happen and when he saw what Biden called: "The EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL" withdrawal from Afghan. , Putin told himself: O.K. now I can go and that is exactly what he did!
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Feb 08, 2023 09:14 AMFond, there were about 2500 US troops left in all of Afghanistan when Biden was inaugurated. The Taliban was already in control. They had in fact "taken over", i.e., re-taken, Afghanistan already.
The problems are so much more complex than who was in power in the US on any given day.
Was the withdrawal handled poorly? Yeah, I'd say so. Was there any way in this actual universe for the US to construct a stable Afghanistan at any point?
No, of course not. It's really up to the Afghanis, it's always up to the the people who live there, not some foreign nation trying to project political power in to cultures and nations that don't want to change.
Try and wear your thinking cap just a little longer before you speak.
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Feb 08, 2023 09:08 AMFOND - causation vs correlation - learn what those words mean and how to distinguish between the two.
Also, refusing to blame the actual criminals but rather the US President for their actions is tantamount to defending them. Why do give the Taliban and Putin free passes?
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Feb 08, 2023 08:23 AMLike what 11:08? Can you provide an actual example or just going throw out biased and inaccurate claims?
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Feb 08, 2023 06:30 AMSacjon: If I remember correctly, which you obviously can't, during the Trump presidency:
The Talibans had NOT taken Afghanistan over
The Dental clinic WAS open AND:
There was NO WAR in Europe, RIGHT ?
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Feb 07, 2023 11:08 PMThere is a small contingent that regularly posts here that lives in the same fantasy world as Sarah Huckabee, hateful and delusional.
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Feb 07, 2023 05:40 PMConservativeSB, we created the Taliban under Reagan, so if you want to ask a President to fix it, that guy is dead.
Maybe move on to living in the real world.
Beyond that, Dr. Rolfe is a genuine hero. So also maybe shut up and figure out how to help. But your kind never actually help, do you, you...just...complain.
And before you ask--yeah, I have donated to Dr. Rolfe's efforts over there in years past.
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Feb 07, 2023 05:02 PMCorrect, which why the mess in Afghanistan happened
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Feb 07, 2023 03:19 PMWho allowed them to take over?
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Feb 07, 2023 03:11 PMCONSERVATIVESB - blaming our leaders other than the murderers and dictators who are actually invading, torturing, raping, murdering innocent human beings around the world. A real American hero, ain't ya?
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Feb 07, 2023 03:05 PMTrump is not the president.
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Feb 07, 2023 12:28 PMThis is so sickening....the Taliban is , truly, evil.. Supporting this cause is a crucial.! What a brave and kind man to support these desperate Afghani people. A hero amongst us. Please help.