Greetings!

Our 2019 annual report will be out soon. There are three things that happened recently that occurred too late to be included in the report: 

FIRST,

Everything we packed in September, all 691 boxes, are now at Bagram air base in Kabul ready to be picked up!!! Basir is waiting for "the call" or rather email giving him a date and time. Who calls anymore? Calls are becoming as rare as letters. Photos to follow. 

Second,

The classes for girls in Lalander are a success!! If you will recall, there were no classes for girls in Lalander and TIE, with the assistance of Maiwand Nemati, created two. Schools close this month for winter break and reopen in March. Maiwand just informed me that the classes for girls will continue in the spring and be accredited by the Ministry of Education. So, in a few short months Lalander has gone from no classes for girls to two. They will continue in the spring and be accredited. Girls are now attending a school previously utilized only for boys. This is a major step forward toward achieving gender equality in that area.

They want to learn and we're providing them the opportunity.

.

Third,

Rashid Nemati just opened our tenth computer library in his father's home in Deh Dana, Kabul. Rashid and his father, Raymond, live in the bay area. Rashid is in Afghanistan waiting for Aisha, his wife, to be granted a visa allowing her to join him the United States. This is a frustrating and lengthy process that took his brother well over a year to achieve. No one can give them a time frame for processing.

Rashid agreed to teach English and run the library. It just opened. He has fifty (50) students signed up for his English classes! Capacity is already an issue. It's located next to a school and the word is out, "free library, free educational videos, and free English classes. "Who does that?", parents asked. We do.

Note how many are girls!!!

It's worth mentioning for newsletter newcomers, the utilization rate of our nine libraries is around 700 children per day six days a week. That number should approach 800 when Rashid sends in his reports. 

I'm sending this newsletter before Thanksgiving to let you know there are hundreds of Afghan thank givers who have asked me to thank you, during my 20 visits to Afghanistan over the past 14 years. There are thousands who, upon learning what we do, have looked me in the eye and placed their right hand over their heart. I do the same. This silent message is meant for us all.

Happy Thanksgiving (with hand placed over heart)

Budd

Trust in Education | www.TrustinEducation.org