Operation International Children (OIC), is a program administered by People to People International. Founded in 2004 by actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand, the program aims to give concerned citizens of the world a way to reach out to children in war-stricken countries and support American troops in their efforts to assist them.
An OIC School Supply Kit
OIC recently received an email from a young soldier stationed in the Kunar province of Afghanistan. SSG Rachel and PFC Robin are part of the U.S. Army’s “Heart and Minds” program. Serving with the Fourth Brigade Female Engagement Team (FET), Rachel and Robin have been assigned the task of positively engaging with the local population of women and girls. Also, as the ONLY women stationed in the Combat Outpost (COP) of Monti, they hope to finally provide a sounding board for the 50% of the Afghan population that have not had their voices and opinions heard.
FET teams have been in existence for many years, but none with a mission quite like this one. This team will attach themselves to the Infantry, Field Artillery, and Calvary Units and go out in the villages with the hope of building relationships with the local Afghan women. In the past, FET teams were used for raids, searches and tactical questioning of women; all of which caused tension between the teams and the local population. Now, these same teams will focus on building relationships with these women by providing aid, friendship, and local projects to help support them. Rachel is currently working on projects like water purification, livestock vaccinations, and building a corn mill, as well as getting school supplies to the local girls’ schools. This is where OIC comes in.
Rachel tells OIC, “Here in Afghanistan, the concept of girls’ schools has gone almost extinct. The girls are, instead, forced into homemaking 100% of their lives. However, we have been sent to the Kunar Province with the Infantry Company in hopes of finding or establishing girls’ schools. What we have found is that we not only have a local girls’ school very close to our COP, but there are TEN of them here in our Province. Kunar Province has held its ground in that it is unwilling to forfeit their girls’ rights to education! This is HUGE!”
Rachel and her teammate have been given permission by the local village elders to come and speak at one of the girls’ schools in Kunar. And with the help of OIC, the team will be able to bring school supplies with them. Providing these supplies to the girls’ schools is just one of the many ways Rachel and her team hope to provide support to these women. OIC is thrilled to be a part of this venture and looks forward to working with Rachel and her team for a long time to come.
You can be a part of these efforts. Visit www.operationinternationalchildren.org to learn what items are included in an OIC school supply kit, and how to donate them. Consider starting a drive in your community. Your financial support is vital as well, and 100% of your donation is used to purchase supplies and cover shipping costs.
To learn more about People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org.
It may seem silly to most, but when I was reading this part of Little Bee I could really relate to the significant aspect of the nail polish. I think that everyone has something in their life that helps them to cope with life’s craziness. For some it might be running or going for a bike ride. Others might find great joyin reading a book or, like Little Bee, painting their nails. Once I started thinking about what it is I turn to, I realized that I have lots of little things that make me feel alive and help me to escape from the bad moments. First and foremost I would have to say iced coffee. I can count numerous times when this has saved my life.
It is crazy that a cold, highly caffeinated beverage can help me escape, but it does and I think the inventors each and every day! Painting/crafting/baking is another thing that really helps me to escape into my own little world. I love blasting music and making an awesome art piece out of a few materials or whipping up a batch of delicious cupcakes. Photography has always been a great joy of mine as well; there is something magical about being in a darkroom for hours. I think if I were to literally “escape” somewhere, it would be the beach. I love water. I could spend hours swimming and listening to the water. What do you do to feel alive, and how do you escape from the bad moments in life?
