Terrorist organizations generally rely on ignorance for recruiting. If a person cannot read or write it is much easier to sell them on extremist ideologies and even, say, to convince them to blow themselves up for the organization's causes. Therefore we should all be thankful that schools are now operating throughout Afghanistan, and that Girls also attend, long the Taliban's bête noire.
However, school supplies have been in particularly short supply in the Bamyan Valley this summer and fall. When the usual NGOs were not able to provide, I was contacted and asked if I could find any. Of course, my friends responded with incredible generosity. All together, we sent around 15 boxes of school supplies to the orphanage and several charity schools in the Valley. The Oneonta, NY First Presbyterian Church, led by Mrs. Patten, send wonderful supplies, following on the heels of a huge shipment of winter clothing last year. And Chuck Lopez's family and church in Virginia sent a large shipment with shipping from the States courtesy of Avenge, Inc. Thank you all for these badly-needed supplies.
W.
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