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Help a 13-Year-Old Girl Access Speech Therapy
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$3,775 raised of
69 donations
Help a 13-Year-Old Girl Access Speech Therapy
Background story:
The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the collapse of Afghanistan’s government into the hands of the Taliban were catastrophic for my family. My niece, Setayesh, used to be a normal introvert girl. During the evacuation, at age 9, she was traumatized, according to her mom. She began whispering her words. When she arrived in Canada, she refused to speak entirely. At a clinic in Saskatoon that conducted a basic screening, she was identified as autistic, but a proper and comprehensive assessment for autism has never been conducted on her so far. That is because her parents speak little English and have struggled to navigate the Canadian system. They recently moved to Calgary, Alberta, where, for the first time, the family doctor referred their child to a pediatric clinic for a comprehensive assessment.
In the meantime, her education has suffered enormously. Because she requires additional support in the classroom, schools have told the family that she needs an Educational Assistant (EA). But an EA has not always been available. Over the past three years, Setayesh has been attending for only a few hours a week.
I have been closely involved in Setayesh’s life and her family’s struggle to figure out what happened to their child and how to find services for her over the past three years. While working on my dissertation, I kept asking myself what I could do. Finally, I decided that I could no longer simply watch them struggle through the system alone.
About Setayesh
Setayesh is now 13 years old. She does not communicate unless she needs to, and she often speaks in monosyllabic words. She is a quiet, sweet girl. Her favorite hobbies are drawing and swimming, and sometimes kicking a soccer ball with her younger brother. She loves outdoor activities, especially when she is involved in them.
Why Are We Fundraising?
The family has applied for the FSCD (Family Support for Children with Disabilities) program, which is excessively long, with families waiting an average of three years for a full range of services, according to CBC. As Setayesh grows older and becomes unable to communicate, her parents are concerned that she will never be able to do so. Private speech therapy and specialized education offer a solution, but they are expensive and place a significant burden on the family who already struggled with resettlement and language barriers.
That is why I decided to climb the tallest mountains for her.
14 Peaks for Setayesh
In the second week of August, I undertook the most physically and mentally demanding challenge of my life. Over 6 consecutive days, I climbed 14 of Colorado’s mountains above 14,000 feet to raise awareness and funds for Setayesh’s speech therapy and specialized education. At least two summits a day, often three or four.
There were moments that I wanted to stop. It was a dangerous challenge. Hikers fall off cliffs, break their ankles, or die from heat exhaustion. I noticed that many hikers carried Garmin satellite communicators to send an emergency signal if something went wrong. I had considered carrying one myself, but I realized something painful: I did not really have anyone I could designate to receive a distress signal from me.
Anyway, I knew how difficult those 6 days were, and my challenge had an end but for my niece, the challenge of communication is a daily reality.
Photos and videos documenting all 14 summits are available on the campaign website.
Why Did I Do It?
For Setayesh.
To help her speak one day.
To raise awareness of what can happen to children caught between war, forced displacement, resettlement, disability, language barriers, and systems their families do not know how to navigate.
My goal in the mountains was simple: climb as high as I could to help raise enough funds for Setayesh to access speech therapy, so one day, she can communicate.
I climbed the tallest mountains. Now I am asking you to help with the part I cannot do alone.
Where Will the Money Go?
All funds raised through this campaign will be used for Setayesh’s speech therapy and specialized school tuition.
Speech therapy: approximately $150–$180 CAD per session
At $150 per hour:
- 4 hours per week: $600 CAD
- 1 month: approximately $2,400 CAD
- 12 months: approximately $28,800 CAD
Specialized school tuition: approximately $6,500 CAD annually
Even one year of consistent speech therapy and specialized education is far beyond what her family can afford alone.
Whether you donate $10, $50, $100, or simply share this campaign with others, you are helping Setayesh gain access to communication and educational support that she has gone without for years.
Every donation brings Setayesh one step closer to being able to speak more fully with her parents and siblings, and the people in her world.
Come Along on This Journey
I don't want this campaign to be only about asking for your support. I also want to share something with you in return and invite you to be part of this journey.
Along the way:
- I will share the mountains with you. I will vlog and create short videos about my climbs, including what it takes to prepare for and safely hike in the mountains.
- I will tell you stories. Besides being an academic, I am a storyteller, and there will certainly be stories to tell along the way.
- I will share the landscapes I encounter. Expect photographs and videos from the trails, campsites, summits, and everything in between. I promise to make them interesting. :)
- I will send postcards and thank-you notes. When possible, I would also love to share reproductions of some of Setayesh’s artwork with supporters.
- I will keep you updated on Setayesh. With her family's permission and while respecting her privacy, I will share updates about her journey and how your contributions are helping.
- And there will be music. I am an amateur musician, so somewhere along the journey, I will bring out my guitar, rubab, Appalachian dulcimer, or flute and play something for you.
- Most importantly, I hope this becomes more than my climb. I hope you will follow along, share Setayesh's story, and become part of the community helping her communicate, learn, and find her own way forward.
About fundraiser:
I am currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at UC Irvine, with a deep passion for working with children. For the past several years, I have worked with refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Tajikistan. I have helped them with college applications and scholarship searches, and I have mentored them (especially first-gen students here at UCI). As part of a storytelling volunteer group, I have composed nursery songs and written stories to help refugee children maintain their native languages. My volunteer work has also taken me to hospices, national parks, churches, mosques, synagogues, and communities, wherever people needed help. As a translator, I have volunteered at government offices, asylum offices, hospitals, and courthouses. I have helped refugees with asylum seeker and changing-status applications, and still do so.