girls

I've been quite absent getting ready for Thanksgiving and the week after.

Pap smears?  Not a subject I'm knowledgeable on, but from past experience I know how important they are.

Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world to be born, especially if you're a girl.

I just read The Kite Runner which is a total eye opener about what life was like there before, before the Russians and before the Taliban and before, well before the world ended for that country.

I've added the BBC photo of an Afghan girl to illustrate what is at stake if we leave.  As much as I hate war and guns, as much as I detest those in charge of Afghanistan, I cannot support us leaving this country.  In fact I am strongly in favor of a totally different approach.

Let's plant roots and stay much like we did in Japan, Korea, Germany.  Let's stay and give them the time. possibly generations, to change attitudes and join the modern world.  nh

ABC News

Eight Years Later: 'Most Dangerous Place To Be Born'

ABC’s Nick Schifrin files this sad item from Kabul:

 

In a press conference in Geneva today, the South Asia regional director for UNICEF said this: "Afghanistan today is without a doubt the most dangerous place to be born.”

 

Dan Toole was speaking about UNICEF’s annual report The State of the World’s Children, which is available here(pdf).

 

Toole said Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world: 257 deaths for every 1,000 live births. He also said a lack of security prevents polio and measles vaccine campaigns and decreases the number of children attending schools, especially girls. 317 schools have been destroyed by the Taliban in the past year, he said, killing 124 people.

 

Here’s another link(pdf) – to drive the point home. This is the actual list of mortality rates around the world.

ABC News Person of the Week, Greg Mortenson believes in that African proverb and he has made it his life. 

So often, if watching ABC I ignore the person of the week segment but this one caught my attention as I was getting up from my chair.  His foundation, founded with Dr. Jean Hoerni, sets up schools, mainly for for girls, throughout rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

His adventure to this point was the basis of a bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time and I for one am going to read it. This is a great man doing all that one man can do promoting peace by educating girls. When ABC posts their story and video I'll update this post.

The Central Asia Institute is his base, here is the welcome.

Peace and Hope Begin With Education: One Child At A Time