Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

November 30, 2010

Project Update

Ayni Education International

Preston Thompson - Deputy, Executive Director

Greetings Friends, Followers and Supporters,

Julia Bolz, Founder and Executive Director of Ayni Education International has just returned from a trip to Afghanistan.  During her two weeks in Mazar-i-Sharif she visited our largest school project three times.  She is very pleased with the way construction is progressing.  While there, an inspector came in from Kabul and said that it was one of the best projects he had seen.  In addition, girls who will be attending the school were given a tour and are very excited about the new building. 

Unfortunately, given the early rains and the Eid al-Adha holiday last month (causing all work to temporarily stop), the school was only 80% completed when she left.  Work has since continued and we expect it to be complete except for paint before the snows come.  School closes for the winter but we anticipate the girls will start school in the new building once they return in the spring (March 22).  Julia will go back at that time for the dedication about April 1, 2011

As of now, the school is still on budget and we anticipate it finishing that way.  However, we already see a number of other things that we will want to put into the school after the dedication, including a kindergarten and computer lab.  Thus, we will continue fundraising for these projects, working to improve the school slowly but surely over the years.

Thank you so much for your interest, encouragement and assistance.  It means more than you know to us and the families we support in Afghanistan.

With utmost gratitude,

Preston Thompson