AFGHAN SCHOOL CHILDREN

During a recent village recon I had the chance to see an elementary school and visit with the kids.

Like all kids, they were a bit shy. I guess I would be too if a couple of fully armed soldiers walked into my classroom. That can't be helped because we're required to stay in our body armor.

Despite our appearance, the kids opened up to us really fast and were glad to see us. A great icebreaker is to show the kids digital pictures of themselves. They've probably never seen pictures of themselves so they're fascinated by the camera.

Notice anything? All boys. I really couldn't get a straight answer as to whether the girls attend school or not. I know that this school is so small that the kids have to attend in shifts; some in the morning and then a new group in the afternoon.

Overcrowding is a common problem. The typical Afghan family has between five and ten children. It's also hard to get the teachers paid sometimes. This school house is in the middle of nowhere and is not easily accessible, which exacerbates those problems.

Anyway, it was fun visiting these kids and hopefully we will be back soon to deliver more help to them.