Dear Reader,

Recently I watched a heart-wrenching report on  60 Minutes regarding SOLA (School Of Leadership Afghanistan), a girl’s school in  

that country. 

When the United States pulled out of Afghanistan in August of 2021, the Taliban took over governing the country. One of the first things they did was to ban girls from going to school beyond sixth grade. In response, SOLA’s Wisconsin-educated founder, Shabana Basij-Rasikh, bravely shepherded 252 girls to safety and a new life in  Rwanda. Moving so far from home – Rwanda is 5,500 miles  from Kabul – was a traumatic experience for these young  girls. But they could not be stopped, so great was their  desire for the world of opportunities open to a girl with  an education.

Afghanistan is the only country on the planet that  will not allow girls to gain an education. This is just one  of many practices designed to reduce women to second  class citizens. The girls of SOLA hope to return to their beautiful but backward home as educated women to help  elevate their people, men included, to the 21st century.

We live in a world of multiple hurts, and there are many  causes trying to help in one way or another. This is a good  one to get behind with a donation. You can give to SOLA  with a visit to the globalgiving.com website. 

Thank you in advance for your support. 

Patrick J. Wood 

Publisher 

Author of “Dear Reader” and “Tapestry of Love and Loss”