'Hope for a New Day" kits for Habur Gate
From Tuscon to Iraq: Students helping students
SoA's project to help SFC John Ingrum bring school supplies and other necessities to Iraqi children in Habur Gate, Iraq received a wonderful gift from students in Tuscon, Arizona: almost 2,000 school kits that shipped on national "Make A Difference" day. Bob Dohse, a wonderful SoA supporter and friend, organized the event and wrote to us to share the story of the day:
Tuscon Students Sara and Monica "Make a Difference" for Iraq
It was a great day in Tucson ... making a difference in one of the forgotten places in Iraq.
AFS's YES students in Tucson joined Sahuaro High School's International Club on October 27th by participating in Make a Difference Day.
Sara Senousy (Egypt) and Monika Pratiwi (Indonesia) helped Make a Difference ... in Iraq ... by preparing 1,920 "Hope for a New Day" school kits for village school children just south of the Turkish Border in northern Iraq.
Each individual box contains essential school supplies for elementary school children. All items are new and every box is identical. Each box, however, also contains a hand drawn picture from a young student in the Tucson Unified School District, making every box a unique gift "from a friend in America to a friend in Iraq".
Free transportation was provided by Spirit of America, a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing humanitarian aid to American military personal in conflict zones, who initiate and deliver personalized aid projects to needy communities in which they are assigned. The "Hope for a New Day" school boxes will be distributed by US Army Sergeant First Class John Ingrum, who requested assistance in helping village school children obtain necessary school materials that have not been available in their war-recovering communities.
The Sahuaro International Club's activities were organized by club sponsor and school librarian, Christy Friske-Daniels. Christy doubles, after hours, as Monika's host mom.
Regards to all from the land of sunshine,
Bob ~
