Provide Care for Afghanistan's Abandoned Children

Hello again!

First of all, we are happy to announce that we recently won the approval we need to not only relaunch our successful Children's Garden program in Afghanistan this year, but also expand it to three new locations!

Because we work so hard to keep our ducks in a row (oversight and transparency) we rarely have a problem getting approval from government agencies to do our work -- even in a country like Afghanistan where the political landscape is constantly changing.

One of the reasons for our efficiency is the team of professionals we have attracted to help us serve widowed women and children who have been orphaned by war in Afghanistan.

In this month's report, we would like to tell you about our treasurer in the USA who helps us keep our back office ship shape.

Meet the secretary treasurer of Global Roots, Clint M (photo one)

Clint developed a love of rugged places in Alaska’s Chugach mountains, where he was born and raised, and also in native arctic villages where he developed a love for cultures different than his own.

Clint graduated with an AB in economics from Princeton University, where he developed his interest in Central Asia after taking a class on the history of the expansive region. After Princeton, he spent 6 months on a cattle ranch in California, then worked as a staffer for his US Congressman, before starting a career in management consulting.

His initial post was in Dubai, where he helped banks investigate money laundering and terrorist financing. Here, he worked with a Pashtun man who shared enchanting tales of the beauty and culture of Northern Pakistan and Eastern Afghanistan, and also stories of the ongoing struggles that the region. While in Dubai, Clint saw a television show about an orphaned child that that made him make a promise to himself to do whatever he could to help orphaned children when he had the means to do so.

He returned to DC with his company, and then helped start and manage an office in Denver, CO that grew to 800 people. Exhausted by four years of non-stop travel, Clint decided to enroll in business school at MIT Sloan to facilitate a switch in his career path from consulting to private equity.

Before starting his career, Clint spent several weeks in Northern Pakistan climbing and trekking in the Himalayas and Karakoram, traveling through the Hunza valley, and meeting people from many languages and cultures, and he fell in love with the region.

Through this process, Clint decided that he felt a particular calling to help orphaned children in Central Asia and the Near East, particularly in areas devastated by conflict. Clint completed his MBA at MIT, then took a job on the investment team of a private equity firm that invests in lower middle market businesses.

Clint sits on the board of a food flavoring company that his firm established through the acquisition of two flavor companies. Finally feeling that life had stabilized some, Clint spent several months trying to find an organization to help orphaned children in Afghanistan or Northern Pakistan, but had trouble finding a group whose mission aligned with his and was also active, legitimate, transparent, and had US management.

Clint reached out to Global Roots as its mission in Afghanistan seemed to be in perfect alignment with his goals. He started out helping GR founder Rick Montgomery analyze and improve oversight and transparency issues and remote project management. Recently, Clint agreed to step into the role of secretary/treasurer for Global Roots.

Clint and his wife Catie live in Weston, CT, where they enjoy hiking, gardening, fishing, maple sugaring, and raising chickens with their two young children. While time is a scarce resource between raising children and a demanding job, Clint continues to do whatever he can to help advance Global Roots’ mission.

Thank you from Zahra in Northern Afghanistan

We can't publish a report without sending word of thanks from one of the recipients of our program.

Zahra (photo 2)  is a 13-year-old girl who literally jumped out of her seat when her teacher asked who would like to send a message to GlobalGiving donors.

Here is what Zahra had to say:

"By participating in this course, I learned a lot and it helped me to meet many people and children and it made me become a member of the community. I had lost my hope and by participating in this course I regained my hope. This program provided financial and food assistance to children like me who are poor. Thank you for Global Roots for providing education and economic assistance in a situation where all the girls lost their hope."

If you would like to learn more about the challenges we are having in Afghanistan and the innovative things we are doing to find success, please contact us!!