Aid to Afghan Children - Follow-on

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Please see my earlier post on this subject. Basically I have offered a $100 challenge offer to children, grand-children, etc. of forum participates. If their children have or will pledge to send in a total of $100 between them, I will match it with a $100 check of my own.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 16, 2001

Answers

I was reading that the Afaghans will NOT accept any help from the US whatsoever -- even for children. We just dropped thousands of food rations and they were ridding them up and destroying them.

I can understand that -- if Bin Laden dropped food would you eat it???? If he offered aid to children, would you accept it???

If they won't accept any help, what a waste of money. We have starving children in the US today that need assistance. Only my opinion!

-- Sue (clor@dnd.net), October 16, 2001.


There have been some instances where the food packets were destroyed by those on the ground. The greater majority are being picked up and used by the Afghanis. I have seen stories from the BBC reporting people walking miles to get to the drop zones to collect these packets. My understanding is that the biggest obstacle is that we put written directions in the packets and most Afghanis, especially the women, cannot read so they are puzzled as to to how best utilize this food. The Taliban will not be in power forever and future aid will not depend on their cooperation. Part of the reason we are in the mess in Afghanistan to begin with is that we didn't pay enough attention to the needs of the common people there when we should have. Any increase in aide is a change in the right direction.

-- ray s (mmoetc@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.

Sue, if we have starving children in our country it is certainly not our country's fault. There are all sorts of programs in place to feed children in our country. We can not go door to door looking for parents who are not feeding their children, but we sure can see that our neighbors are feeding their children.

You certainly have a right to your opinion, but I think we need to look at the facts and not rumors. People are starving by the millions in third world countries torn by war that the ordinary people have no part in. I have personally been to such places and I can tell you that you can make a friend for life with a little love and food.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.


Hi Ken! Very generous of you. My 2 kids are sending their dollars, so there's 2 more for the pot. They want to do what their President asked them to do. I've tried to teach them to do good even when the recipient of the kindness doesn't appreciate it. You know the "Love thy enemy" thing that God mentioned.....

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), October 16, 2001.

My son just lost his first two teeth and he is sending that money in, so there is anouther dollar.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), October 16, 2001.


My son mailed his dollar today!!

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), October 16, 2001.

Ken I'll go a $100 on that. Mine will be in the mail wednesday.

-- bin jr (bin@laden.com), October 16, 2001.

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