Helping the People of Afghanistan

Helping the people of Afghanistan is a concern shared by many civilians internationally. News reports coming out of that troubled land are heart wrenching. The Afghani people seem to be living a nightmare in which an entire generation of people has known little other than the horror of intermittent war, persecution and fear. While war continues, now on an international scale and we watch as more young lives are scarred , we can find avenues to help, even as civilians.

I first encountered such possibilities on the pages of "Half the Sky" a book about the international plight of women written by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. Among the many national and international organizations the authors referenced was an organization called "Creating Hope International" . Reading through some of its worthwhile projects I was quickly drawn to the Afghan Institute for Learning. It sounded like it meant business and had a real and important goal.

Despite all the violence that has gone on in Afghanistan in the last three decades "Creating Hope International" has been undaunted in its commitment to improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan. It has put a lot of staff support and financial assistance into the development of the Afghan Institute for Learning.

The Afghan Institute for Learning is no fly by night operation. Working as a women led non-governmental organization the Institute has built itself up to the point where it now provides health and educational services for 360,000 women and children each year. In a country where the education of women has been at least a thorny issue, there is new hope to be found through the Afghan Institute for Learning thanks in part to the annual funding of some $1million that it receives from Creating Hope International

What is truly amazing is that the Institute started as a small local organization of women working with a budget smaller probably than your annual take home pay. But with the help of Creating Hope International, the Institute has expanded beyond their wildest dreams and now really offers an example to other small struggling grassroots groups in Afghanistan and internationally.

No the Afghan Institute for Learning has not stopped the fighting in Afghanistan, war continues. But in the midst of the daily upheaval caused by area violence the Institute provides hope for a better tomorrow. For those of us watching the war and wondering at the resilience of people who daily live lives we can hardly imagine, it is good to know that we can do something to reduce their suffering and brighten their future. You can learn more about the Afghan Institute of Learning and Creating Hope International by visiting their website or by reading books like Half the Sky.

Sources: Half the Sky by William Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn, published by Alfred Knopf, NY, NY, 2009.

www.creatinghope.org