12/12/09
School Is Open - in Afghanistan!
A year ago August I posted on the work of Marianne O'Grady (and her blog), a woman whose parents are parishioners here in Concord, MA.
School Is Open is the organization through which Marianne spent a summer in Afghanistam and which she now serves as Director and Teacher Trainer.
Marianne's mom just shared with me this great new video on the work of School Is Open and I wanted to share it with you.
It's not my purpose to make an argument here against sending 30,000 more troops overseas. But I am wondering what would happen if, in addition to the troops, 30,000 men and women were added to the ranks of School Is Open and what that would do for the future of Afghanistan...
So many gifts fall into our lives without benefit of wrapping paper and ribbons to mark them for what they are- early Christmas presents! This video is just such a gift and has much to teach us about this season and its meaning.
-ConcordPastor
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You make a good point, and I will check out the blog. One thing that many people do not know is that the Obama administration and the military have adopted a strategy -- for what I think is the first time in history -- to put language training above any other in preparing deploying troops, the thought being that it is better to speak with people and make them friends than to kill them. Let's hope all of it can be done -- the language training and acquisition and the turning of enemies into allies.
ReplyDeleteIt was an inspiration to learn of Marianne O'Grady's work in Afghanistan. I love how she manages to stay positive despite the lack of funds and materials for her schools. She wisely knows that it is the dedication of the teacher and the enthusiasm of the students which will determine its survival. It reminded me of the schools in Haiti, where some of the schools often looked more like stables because there was no evidence of paper, pencils, books, etc. Yet, the children were so eager and present, and somehow, so much was able to be accomplished with practically nothing! Thank you for this ~ while not a Christmas story per se, it came at just the right time. I definitely plan to check out Marianne's blog.
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