One of the big campaign strategies for the US military is often called the COIN strategy. It refers to the winning of the hearts and minds of the Afghan people towards the US and its coalition. Although this is a good strategy, I and many of my friends feel that the focus of this should be on the children as they are the future of Afghanistan and essentially the most important part.
As a result of our belief in the need to do good for the children and a desire to make a difference my friend Boris and I took on a major project of reconstructing a daycare facility. The project began as a desire to create a playground for the kids to play in and has evolved as we saw the condition of the facility and the needs that were so obviously there.
It is a two story facility tucked back a ways behind a few other buildings, upon entering you can go straight back to a "Turkish" style bathroon or up two flights of stairs to the second floor where there are two classrooms for the over fifty children that attend the day care, an office, and a kitchen. In many places the plaster on the wall is falling off, and the paint chipping. The glass in the windows were broken and cracked, there was exposed live electrical wiring, the walls are covered in soot and ash (a wood burning heater is used in the winter). The carpets are dirty, the small beds the children nap in are old and worn and there are more children in the small space then probably should be there. Essentially this place is one that most of us would refuse to live in let, alone allow your child to be cared for in on a daily basis.
After observing these things and many others we decided to do what we could to help. We wanted to repaint the facility and give it a clean and cheery feeling for the children. We also wanted to improve what we could. We started by having a painting party with volunteers. We were able to paint the classrooms and get a good start on the hallways. We continued with the improvements and installed ceiling fans in both classrooms, new glass in the broken windows, and the sanding and repainting of the beds. Once the painting is complete we will be installing new carpets in all of the daycare. We would also like to install air conditioners and heating units so that they no longer have to rely on burning for their heat and are able to keep and soot and ash out of the facility.
The play ground area was literally a dumping grounds before we started. We had all of the trash and rubble removed from it and had a new wall built and fresh masonry work done to clean it up. We intend to put in a small playground, cement the area, and add rubber mats.
It is a huge project that has consumed much of my time over the last several weeks. However, to see the children happy, the progress that is being made, and the difference we are making has been incredibly rewarding. I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this project, seeing the difference it has made in the childrens lives and the impact we were able to make in the simple act of trying to make a difference one child at a time.
If you would like to follow the progress of our group please check us out at:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31358287&id=1005810794#!/group.php?gid=141531235863844
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