Stories from the Field: Sunshine School Dedication December 11, 2005 Northern Afghanistan As we arrived at the village you could see lines of girls in their school uniforms slowly winding their way to the school carrying flags. Turning the last corner you could see the new school shining brilliantly in the sunshine. It was the first time I had seen the school after it had been painted and the bright colors of the building contrasted sharply against the tan colored landscape. I was excited to see the end result after months of work and waiting. The dignitaries who had gathered were equally impressed. They were ready to celebrate the opening of their school. The ceremony began with various dignitaries speaking and children reading poetry or singing. When it was my turn to speak I explained to the community that four years ago I began to think of how we could help the people of this area. I told them that their school came about thanks to a specific group of US donors. These generous folks had named the project the “Sunshine School.” Everyone seemed to like the name of their new school and agreed that it represented the community well. After the speeches, it was time to exchange gifts. The villagers had prepared gifts for us and we had gifts from our US donors for dignitaries, teachers and children. All of the gifts and supplies for the students were placed in a row. They came in classroom by classroom to pick them up. I had the perfect opportunity to speak to some of them. I asked them what their hopes were for the future. The oldest girls, up to 17 years old, are currently in the 6th grade. They have no higher grades for the girls yet because of the lack of education during the 20 plus years of Taliban rule. These girls were smart, enthusiastic, and ambitious. One girl told me that she loved little girls and she wanted to teach 1st or 2nd grade. Another girl wanted to be a doctor and yet another said she dreamed of being a journalist. A few years ago we gave this school a large box containing books in their language. They have no other library. I asked the girls if they had read any of the books and they said “Yes! All of them!” After I explained to them how we wanted to support the school for the next few years, one of them quickly asked for some books in English so they could learn the language. After that another chimed in saying they would love to learn computers as well. It was fun for me to see them dreaming. A few years ago these girls lived under the oppressive Taliban rule and were forbidden to study, sing or recite poetry. A few days ago they were studying in an old abandoned house. Now they have a new school, and proudly sang and read poetry at for the opening. They asked for English books and computers. You can see their dreams growing, becoming bolder.       After all of the girls received their gifts I had the principal of the school prepare some questions for the students. Whoever correctly answered the questions would receive a special gift. The first question was, “Which state did the funds for this school come from?” The second was about their new government, “Where is the capital of Afghanistan? Who is the President? Who is the Minister of Education? Who is the Provincial Education Director? Who is the head of the District Education Department?” A fourth grade student got them all right and won the gift. When the festivities were over, around 2 o’clock it was time to head back to the city. It was a wonderful day, a day unlike any other in the lives of these village children. Thanks to the donors of the Sunshine Project for making it possible to be a light and ray of hope for these friends of ours! Your investment in the lives of children and the future of Afghanistan is immeasurable. (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