No, I didnt get a selfie with Jon Stewart... A rookie mistake. But the day after, and very much post the TV makeup by my kitchen counter on Prince street, I did get one -- with someone who matters more. Shabana Basij-Rasikh, visiting from Kabul, is the co-founder and president of SOLA—School of Leadership, Afghanistan and shes at the core of what all this is about: She runs a specialized boarding school for girls from all provinces and of all ethnicities in Kabul. They are given an education on a level that enables them to later study abroad and return to Afghanistan, where they take up highly qualified work both in government and public sector as well as the private one. SOLA really does educate the next generation of Afghan female leaders and I have seen it happen. Ive followed them for five years now; I know some brilliant students from there (some became my very best translators -- and some certainly grew up as #bachaposh) and I have seen their financial struggles. This is small-scale and very powerful work for PEACE. As most journalists and others who have worked in Afghanistan know, the large-scale foreign aid projects are many times less than encouraging. But heres something that really works. SOLA is currently trying to accept more students and they are very grateful for all interest and support they can get from the outside world. sola-afghanistan.org/ Shabana and her girls are my idols.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:55:23 +0000
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