Every 9-11 anniversary is filled with heartfelt salutes to the soldiers, but there are real gestures open to you that would actually make an immediate difference in the lives of desperate people who might turn to terrorism as the only means of supporting one's family.
On Tuesday (9-09-08), I had the rare privilege of meeting Sakena Yacoobi, an Afghan woman and doctor who has founded half-a-dozen programs to empower the poor, especially women, in Afghanistan. Since 2002, she's raised $125,000 through mom&pop philanthrophists -like you- and has put 350,000 girls into schools with that money, among other things. I know these girls are getting a good education like in America (not the African copy notes on a black board and have your students regurgitate facts way), because I asked her about her teaching methods. I know Sakena's projects are trustworthy and efficient with their money, because our GlobalGiving people spend hours pouring over the books of all our partners (I'm now an analyst at GlobalGiving, by the way).
In our meeting, Sakena brought up Al Qaeda and the Taliban: "The Taliban are not Muslims. There is nothing in the Koran to justify their rules," she said. As a devout Muslim (fasting for Ramadan this month), Sakena was the first I'd heard say this but I suspect many other Muslims share her opinion. She didn't hold her tongue about America either. "If you want democracy for us," she said, "then you should want education. But you don't want to spend money for it." She's right. She is putting an Afghan girl in school with less than a dollar per year in donations, while our government can barely maintain order in Afghanistan spending $2.3 billion a month. (that $2,300,000,000 a month!) But she is not alone on 9-11. The families of several 9-11 victims have banded together and donated their government-reparations money into a fund, the "Safer More Compassionate World Fund." They were at the Pentagon's 9-11 memorial today trying to show America a bigger picture. Our pennies add up to opportunities, which create alternatives, which mean fewer people turning to Al Qaeda to support their families. Terrorists are not irrational homicidal maniacs. They are real people who find themselves in the worst places on earth, choosing between several bad options. Sakena herself said, "I see the people in the villages. To buy one bag of flour now costs them more than a month's salary, and that only lasts two-weeks for a family of five. Then the Taliban comes in one day and flashes $100 or $200 dollars in front of them. Where do these people get this money?"
I think you know where that money comes from. It passes through many hands, but at least some of those hands sit on mountains of oil. That means we're doubly in control of our future. We need to stop terrorism both by spreading prosperity to the dark holes of the Earth and by keeping more black blood in the Earth. If you, like me, want to commemorate 9-11 in a meaningful, forward-looking way, you can read about the 10 projects that the Safer, More Compassionate World Fund is promoting on the http://www.globalgiving.com/saferworld.html website and give them money. Sakena started 2 of these. Consider donating AGAIN after Oct 1st, when this fund will begin to match all donations up to $10,000 per person.
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