Building Schools in Afghanistan

Every year our little family does a  fundraiser around Christmas time. We started this tradition because we wanted our kids to have something else to think about and focus on besides the ME, ME, ME of getting presents! Two years ago we did school kits for less fortunate kids at a school in Provo. The kids absolutely loved that project and got super involved with their classes at school and with our neighborhood. We got to deliver the school packets to the kids in Provo at their school in their classrooms. It was one of the neatest experiences we've had as a family.

 This year we decided to do something that the kids could really get involved in. We collected pennies for an organization called Pennies For Peace. The above picture is a picture of the kids holding all the pennies and money they earned-- including some $1 bills and $5 bills. Honestly, I was surprised that the kids were willing to give ALL they had saved and earned by doing extra jobs here and there. They gave it all. Pennies for Peace is an amazing organization. Anyone out there read the book "Three Cups of Tea"? This organization was founded by the same man who wrote that book. He was climbing K2 in Pakistan and got altitude sickness and had to turn back because he was so sick. His friends all went on with out him.

He stumbled upon a village and those who lived there took care of him and nursed him back to health. Once he was back to not being delirious anymore he noticed there were a ton of school-aged kids running around the village all day. He asked the adults why they weren't in school and they said they didn't have a school; they didn't have teachers. It was too expensive for them to hire teachers to come to their village because they were too far out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing: all these kids and no school; no learning. He decided after he was healthy enough he was going to raise funds and build a school there.

 After many years of working and trying, and starting the Pennies for Peace organization, he raised enough money to build a school. By this time Muslim extremism had become a common, known topic among Americans and this man's thoughts were that if the children in Pakistan could get a real education they would not turn to religious extremism. Education truly would open doors for them and give them all the options in the world. So, we decided that collecting and working for pennies and change was something that the kids could really do and something that they could encourage their friends and classmates to participate in.

We knew that 1 penny = 1 pencil and that 2 pennies = an eraser. 15 pennies can get a notebook and $20 can equip a student for 1 whole year of school! So, we started out on our mission. We made flyers, we talked to our principal, we talked to all the teachers at our school and they were all on board. We had 2 big jugs at the school where the kids could bring their donations too. We encouraged the kids to get creative and think about ways to find spare change or earn some money, not  to just ask their parents for some money for a fundraiser. Something else I liked about this program is that is got our kids thinking about kids clear on the other side of the world! And our efforts

now could create future leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan that had a real education and value for learning and life. What a difference that would make for all of us. In the end, we ended up collecting 48,312 pennies!!!! For those of you having a hard time converting that, we raised $483.12! We were thrilled and the kids had a wonderful time! Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped us!