The Continuing Journey...A New School For an Afghan
Village
The aqua blue building stood on in the
distance, like a cool aquamarine pool of water in the dry and drab
desert. Boys were lined on the street before the entrance of the school
to greet us. This was their proud and long awaited moment; to celebrate
the opening of their new school.
Boys and girls, men, teachers, officials, and important people, along
with the MRDS staff met together to celebrate this oasis in the desert.
I asked the children “Are you happy about your new school?” They
answered with excited shouts of "Yes, indeed!"
This new school was a stark contrast to the tents and mud rooms that
they had been studying in. The new school is much cooler in the desert
heat, it is clean, and is equipped with black boards, desks and plenty
of room for studying and dreaming of a brighter future.
With smiles on their faces the children waited patiently through the
opening ceremony. Amid the intense heat, the teachers stood with their
students listening as other students proudly recited poems. The
officials and dignitaries gave speeches about the school and about what
our team had done to bring this to pass. The villagers were very happy
and extremely thankful to everyone that contributed to building of their
school.
After the ceremony, the ribbon was cut and everyone entered the school
and found places to sit in the hallway. First the men were served a
meal, then the students. The community organized all this wonderful food
and gracious hospitality, making it a truly special day for all.
After the meal, the children were given gifts: bags filled with school
supplies and toothbrushes. It was like Christmas for them. They proudly
held up their bags as we took photos of them in front of their school.
This was just one day in our workweek. But celebrating with communities
are always special days for us. For the community and especially for the
children the day had an impact that will last for years to come.
A heartfelt thank you to all who participated in making this school a
reality...for those who funded the school, for those behind the scenes
making it happen, for all those who labored in love that the children in
this village would have a new beginning. It has been a special
partnership between two different worlds, bridged by love.
(c) 2005 Millennium Relief & Development Services
Stories from the Field is a periodic journal of
stories from MRDS teams to give a deeper understanding and a face to our
international network. These Stories
may be freely
copied with this citation.
Millennium RDS, 5116 Bissonnet #358, Bellaire, TX 77401-4007
Tel: (713)961-5645 Fax: (713)961-5735 www.mrds.org
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