published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

This creative project is the exploration of a healing garden for Afghan women who have been victims of war and terror. The project culminates with a masterplan and design for a healing garden in the rural village of Qala-e-Malakh in the Behsood District of the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. This issue became a viable project when I was put into contact with Lalbibi (Bibi) Bahrami, an Afghan woman living in Yorktown, Indiana, and native of Qala-e-Malakh. She has worked tirelessly to create and raise funds for her organization, Afghan Women's And Kids' Education and Necessities (AWAKEN), which provides education, basic healthcare, and vocational training to women and children in several rural villages. It is my intent to determine how a designed space, incorporating elements of native culture, emotional treatment standards, and therapeutic garden research, can help heal and renew the spirits of women who have experienced such extreme tragedy and devastation. / Department of Landscape Architecture