a chance to help the girls of Afghanistan (this is not spam)

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

Since many of us radio folks like a good cause, here is one that may be 
interesting to some of you-- a chance for us to do something so that the 
girls who have suffered under the Taliban in Afghanistan can start a new 
life by getting an education.  Might any of your stations like to get 
involved with this?

I've had the pleasure over the past several months to correspond with Ravi 
Nessman, the Associated Press correspondent in Afghanistan.  He brought to 
my attention how the girls in the town he is covering are thrilled to be 
back at school, but they have no books and no school supplies.  I asked him 
if there was a way to help, and he wrote me back the following:

[Ravi wrote]
Donna,
Sorry it has taken so long, but it is not easy to find a way for you to
send supplies to a city that has no telephone system, e-mail or reliable
mail service.
Anyway, the U.S. Army's civil affairs unit, a bunch of trustworthy guys I
can assure you, have offered their assistance.
You can send anything you wish to donate to this address:
Fatima Balkhi School c/o
CA Unit
Unit 3
APOAE 09311
This is an American address and will arrive at the U.S. base in Mazar, via
the Army mail system.
Good luck and thanks for the offer of help. The schools could use anything
you are able to give them.  [end of Ravi's latest note to me]

Those of you who are PDs, would this be something  listeners might enjoy 
doing?  If we all sent some notebooks, some pencils or pens, some picture 
books for little kids and  some that a junior high or high school girl 
might enjoy in her study of English or American history or whatever, even 
some radio station memorabilia, I believe we could make a major 
difference.  Most of these kids study in buildings that were long since 
damaged, either by the Taliban or by the recent bombings, and maybe we can 
help improve the way their classrooms look!  Educational supplies for girls 
have been at the bottom of the list for way too long.  I am hopeful that 
you will join me in my quest to help these students resume their studies; I 
also commend Ravi for writing the article a few weeks back about how these 
girls are studying in a building that has no lights, no heat, and no 
books-- yet they are all eager to attend.  And I further commend him and AP 
for going the extra mile and finding a way we can do something.