After over 2 years of frustrating delays and very slow progress to build a small school for the children of this extremely remote and lawless area in Ghazni, Afghanistan, the school is now finally complete alhamd'Allah.  Security issues, severe weather, accessibility and procurement logistics for this project consumed an inordinate amount of time.  The school is now operating normally with children who have never been to school  receiving basic education.

I am going to Balkh Province of Afghanistan to commence a pure water drinking and usage project shortly insha'Allah.  This is a very remote and starkly poor community of 30,000 that is almost frozen 7 months of the year.  The entire community relies on contaminated water for drinking and usage that comes from a used river that originates upstream.  Children and elderly are constantly afflicted with water borne diseases, some resulting in deaths.  CAI will, insha'Allah, pipe in pure water from a reliable and limitless resource some seven uninhabitable kilometers away.  The pipes will have to be insulated against hostile elements and water generator pumped to the community.

Project cost is about USD180,000 out of which USD100,000 have already been pledged by generous donors.  As I have asserted all along, water is a truly scarce and precious resource in Afghanistan.  The hunt for this resource is painful and time consuming ordeal, especially for women and children, particularly in winter.  It is not uncommon for these individuals to walk up to two / three kilometers everyday in bitterly cold and icy weather to seek this precious and life sustaining necessity.

I appeal for you to please join hands with CAI and help alleviate this burning dilemma.  Please contribute as much and as little that you can to seek the ultimate pleasure of Allah (S).