Nick Noorzad and his family left their home country of Afghanistan in 2006 so they could practice their Christian faith in peace. They began their new life in Arlington, Texas.

While living in Afghanistan and traveling to other parts of Central Asia, Nick witnessed the tragic outcome from decades of war. He saw hundreds of children living on the streets and struggling with addiction. The scene was the same in all the major cities, though the reasons for the abandonment of children were varied.

Some children’s parents and would-be caretakers were killed in war. Others were born to unwed mothers, often to women who had been raped. Yet others were not welcome in the context of second marriages, which were an economic necessity for widows.  

At the same time, he saw a growing and disturbing trend towards drug-addiction. Rampant or willful misinformation and an increasing availability of opium and heroin were drawing entire families, including very young children, into long-term drug dependency, with ruinous social, economic, psychological, and spiritual consequences.

The ugly faces of deprivation and addiction made a lasting impression on Noorzad, but he was not without hope. Once on solid footing in North America, he gathered a team of dedicated people and developed a plan to help the abandoned and drug-addicted children of Central Asia.

Source of Compassion is the result of their dedication. It is their calling to the make a difference in the acute suffering to which we have all been awakened.