Action Alert! Peace Corps Funding needs your help

NPCA ADVOCACY LISTSERV

For more information on NPCA Advocacy, visit the Advocacy Network
webpage at http://www.rpcv.org/advocacy.
Dear NPCA Advocates:

This Thursday, the full Senate Appropriations Committee is going to be
considering spending levels for Foreign Operations programs including
the Peace Corps. The meeting is referred to as a "mark-up" session,
where Committee members will review spending levels and vote on final
figures.

If your Senator is a member of the Appropriations Committee, we need
you to take action now! (see list at the very end of this message to
see if you need to take action)

The House of Representatives has already voted to support the
President's Peace Corps request of $333.5 Million, which is about a
4.5% increase. In recent years, the Senate has recommended funding
levels lower than that of the House (and the President) for Peace
Corps.

ACTION REQUEST (BY PHONE - Phone numbers listed below)

If listed below, call your Senator and leave this message: "I'm
calling to ask Senator ______ to support no less than the President's
request of $333.5 Million for the Peace Corps, during Thursday's
Committee mark-up of the Foreign Operations bill."

ACTION REQUEST (BY EMAIL OR FAX):

Follow this link to be connected to websites of your Senators for
email or fax information.

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Use the following text as a guide when preparing your message. Please
modify and personalize as you wish:

****
Dear Senator ______,

As a strong supporter of the Peace Corps, I seek your leadership
during Thursday's mark up of the Foreign Operations bill to ensure
that Peace Corps receives no less than $333.5 Million, as requested by
the President and supported (last week) in the House of
Representatives.

The person-to-person interactions exemplified by Peace Corps
volunteers are exactly what we need more of, as the United States
seeks to regain its position as a respected leader and trusted friend.
Unfortunately, congressional funding for Peace Corps in the past two
years has resulted in a slight decrease in the current number of
volunteers in the field.

As we approach Peace Corps' 50th anniversary, I seek your support in
re-doubling efforts to expand opportunities for Peace Corps service.
An FY 2008 appropriation that at least meets the President's request
is an important first step.

Sincerely,

********

MEMBERS OF THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE - (Phone Numbers)

ALABAMA: Richard Shelby (202-224-5744)

ALASKA: Ted Stevens (202-224-3004)

CALIFORNIA: Dianne Feinstein (202-224-3841)

COLORADO: Wayne Allard (202-224-5941)

HAWAII: Daniel Inouye (202-224-3934)

IDAHO: Larry Craig (202-224-2752)

ILLINOIS: Richard Durbin (202-224-2152)

IOWA: Tom Harkin (202-224-3254)

KANSAS: Sam Brownback (202-224-6521)

KENTUCKY: Mitch McConnell (202-224-2541)

LOUISIANA: Mary Landrieu (202-224-5824)

MARYLAND: Barbara Mikulski (202-224-4654)

MISSISSIPPI: Thad Cochran (202-224-5054)

MISSOURI: Kit Bond (202-224-5721)

NEBRASKA: Ben Nelson (202-224-6551)

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Judd Gregg (202-224-3324)

NEW JERSEY: Frank Lautenberg (202-224-3224)

NEW MEXICO: Pete Domenici (202-224-6621)

NORTH DAKOTA: Byron Dorgan (202-224-2551)

PENNSYLVANIA: Arlen Specter (202-224-4254)

RHODE ISLAND: Jack Reed (202-224-4642)

TENNESSEE: Lamar Alexander (202-224-4944)

TEXAS: Kay Bailey Hutchison (202-224-5922)

UTAH: Robert Bennett (202-224-5444)

VERMONT: Patrick Leahy (202-224-4242)

WASHINGTON: Patty Murray (202-224-2621)

WEST VIRGINIA: Robert Byrd (202-224-3954)

WISCONSIN: Herb Kohl (202-224-5653)

Jonathan Pearson (Micronesia 87 - 89)
Advocacy Coordinator
National Peace Corps Association
1900 L Street NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20036
202-293-7728, ext. 21
fax: 202-293-7554
advoc...@rpcv.org
http://www.rpcv.org/advocacy

Learn from RPCV Social Entrepreneurs
http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs

_______________________________________________
Please note: The materials and information included in this listserv
are provided as a service to you and do not necessarily reflect
endorsement by the National Peace Corps Association. Postings to this
list are by NPCA staff only. The NPCA is not responsible for the
accuracy of information provided from outside sources.

We encourage subscribers to pass the information along to colleagues
and other interested parties. Please credit this listserv as the
source and include subscription information.

To join the National Peace Corps Association, renew your membership or
to make a financial contribution in support of our programs, go to
https://www.npcaonline.org/npcassa/ssaauthmain.login_page
_______________________________________________
NPCAAdvocacy mailing list

For general information on this list, to manage your subscription, to
access the archives or to unsubscribe, go to
http://smtp.rpcv.org/mailman/listinfo/npcaadvocacy_smtp.rpcv.org

FW: News from Trust In Education

Trust In Education Newsletter Update on Our Village to Village Program in Afghanistan June 2007 In This Issue Pictures from Budd's Recent Trip From the Trenches, by Budd Mackenzie Donations   Pictures from Budd's Recent Trip Dear terry, Budd has returned from another successful trip to Afghanistan. Another 8,500 trees were planted, bringing the total to 21,481. The children were particularly excited to see him this time as their new soccer field was almost complete. When he arrived, they rushed from their classrooms to greet him and thank him. Sometimes the simplest things have tremendous impact. To read more, look at the May 2007 Progress Report. Best, Ann, Jonathan and Budd From the Trenches, by Budd Mackenzie When I last wrote I was in Afghanistan, only a few days from the "big day," when the Circus was coming to town. It was a logistical nightmare. Fifty student performers needed to be transported from Kabul to Lalander, a seventeen mile, hour and a half bus ride. The war torn roads to Lalander will destroy even the most resilient suspension systems. No problem, simply call the bus company. But, there are no bus companies. Rahmanaddin Namati spent six hours one afternoon flagging down privately owned buses in Kabul, negotiating for a pick up scheduled for 8:30 the next morning. The drivers proved to be "not interested" as were their passengers. Undaunted, Rahmanaddin headed out at 5 am the next morning, driven in part by a belief often relied upon in Afghanistan, "If it is God's will..." Three and a half hours later two buses arrived on time. The cost per bus for six hours was $40. There were acrobats, jugglers, singers, comedians, and a community feast. One sketch had a huge banner, identifying and warning the children of land mines and explosive devices. The lesson was in part delivered by song! A good time was had by all. Well, almost all. Thirty minutes before the show began,I realized not a single woman and less than 12 girls were in attendance. Later that day I asked a small group of women why they had not attended. In response I was told "Well things are different here than they are in Kabul". The answer was delivered as a statement of fact without emotion or comment. I left the topic there. In a society where people have been threatened and punished for expressing their views, it's frequently difficult to have an open discussion on "sensitive" topics. Fear is a silencer. I must confess that I returned home discouraged by "circus day". While Lalander currently remains free of the Taliban, we are painfully aware of the war they are continuing to wage in Afghanistan. That war includes burning down schools, threatening educators and families with daughters in school. Some who have refused to heed Taliban warnings have lost their lives. But, even in a village where a significant number of families have chosen to send their daughters to school, a "woman's place" does not include attending a circus. Once back in the States, I decided to research our own history of women's rights. In 1850 a national convention was held in New York to discuss women's rights. The convention adopted several goals, one of which was establishing a woman's right to vote. When was that right granted? In the past two weeks two fourth graders at different schools provided me with the correct answer. Women achieved the right to vote in 1920, by amendment to the US Constitution. Colorado was the first state to ratify the amendment in 1893. Therefore, it took 43 years for the first state and 70 years for the United States to recognize a woman's right to vote. What's the lesson? The struggle for the most basic freedoms for Afghan women will be a long one. It's a struggle that will be won, one mind at a time. We, and particularly I, must be patient and steadfast in our commitment. The consequences of retreating are unthinkable. Donations It is readily apparent from daily news reports that Afghanistan's future is at stake. It is imperative that we join the Afghans now in their struggle for the most basic freedoms. There is no such thing as a small contribution in a country whose annual per capita income is less than $300 a year. You can make a difference. Send a check or money order (any currency) to: Trust In Education PO Box 936 Lafayette, CA 94549 -OR- Donate with PayPal. PayPal is a Web site that accepts credit card and bank transfer payments. You need to set up a PayPal account to donate via PayPal. This requires providing credit card and/or bank information. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are accepted. Learn More :: info@trustineducation.org :: http://www.trustineducation.org :: (925) 299-2010

Afghan Connectionspublished by Friends of Afghanistan: News from Trust In Education

Afghan Connections
published by Friends of Afghanistan: News from Trust In Education

Afghanistan-The-True-Story

To: Afghanistan-The-True-Story@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 2:50 am
Subject: Subscribe to Afghanistan-The-True-Story

Welcome dear readers,

Afghanistan The True Story is a blog about the real story in Afghanistan.

Daily I will be posting an article about the current situation in Afghanistan, written by independent journalists or political commentators.

Do join this group by subscribing through the following E-mail address: Afghanistan-The-True-Story-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Here the link to the blog : http://afghanistan-the-true-story.blogspot.com/

Afghanistan The True Story
The moderator

---

AFGHANISTAN PROGRAM - VERY, VERY, IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!

Salaam FoA Student Exchange Advocates,

Placing foreign exchange students is a very challenging and difficult task. The directors with whom Terry Dougherty and I have been working have had to rely on the same local coordinators year after year to place students in the same regions. This year confirmed placements for Afghan exchange students, for the start of the school year in September, have only been made in California.

The official US State Department Afghanistan Student Exchange Program needs your help to identify local hosts and accepting schools to place our Afghan students. Please read the message below and see if you can sense the desperation in Pam's message. Please make a few calls through your network and try to find a kind and tolerant family willing to host one of these bright young high school students. RSVP to me ( Samangan72@aol.com) with any leads. Thanks so much for your support through the early years of this special American program.

Consider contacting your local churches, synogogues and masjids to see if anyone can generate support for this important program.

Salaamat Boshene,
Tony Agnello

President, Friends of Afghanistan
Director, Schools and Futures, Inc.
Advisor, Western New York
Sister School Coalition
Peace Corps, Afghanistan 1972-75

1

Course on Afghanistan by RPCV Stephen Nadler

VIVA!

VIVA! Is a non-profit program of University College of the University of Denver and is affiliated with the Osher Life Long Learning Institute.

Facilitator: Stephen Nadler

Name of Course: AFGHANISTAN: At the crossroads of history

In the late 19^th century the geopolitics of the British Empire and Russia crossed paths in Afghanistan. During the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union Afghanistan once again was at the crossroads. And now at the beginning of the 21^st Century Afghanistan is once again in the cross hairs of geopolitics.

The facilitator was a Peace Corps Volunteer to Afghanistan between 1965 and 1967. He was a founder of the Afghan Refugee Relief Committee of Colorado during the early 1980’s in Denver.

Steve has remained fascinated by this remote, economically poor, historically and culturally rich and complex land and people. He will facilitate presentations and discussions.

Objective: To learn about Afghanistan and its importance in today’s world of geopolitics and ideology.

Proposed Outline:

Session 1: Overview/survey presentation and discussion about Afghanistan, where it was in 1965-67, significant events in 1973, 1979, 1989, 1998, 2001 and where it is today. Presentation, discussion

Session 2: Overview history, geography, culture, economics, politics

Presentation, discussion

Session 3: Afghanistan and Colorado – How they have been connected.

Presentation, discussion

Session 4: Case study about a current economic development project in Afghanistan today by a Denver business man. Presentation, discussion

Session 5: Afghanistan and its place in today’s Central Asia and Middle East.

Presentation and discussion

Session 6: An Afghan’s personal story and perspective.

Presentaion and discussion

Session 7: Afghan Carpets: how they are made, their beauty and economic importance

Presentation and discussion – American carpet dealer and expert in Afghan carpets. This could be a field trip to the carpet store in Denver.

Session 8: Summarization, wrap up, follow up, etc. to previous 7 sessions.

Facilitator’s Phone# 303-322-3624 E-Mail SchlomoX@msn.com

Session dates and times:

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Wednesday, November 7 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

QU QU QU BARG-E-CHINAAR: CHILDREN’S SONGS FROM AFGHANISTAN

MEDIA ADVISORY:
February 28, 2006

MEDIA REGISTRATION:
Joshua Gross, Media Relations Officer
(202) 292 4285 / (202) 657 8052 (cell)
gross@embassyofafghanistan.org

QU QU QU BARG-E-CHINAAR: CHILDREN'S SONGS FROM AFGHANISTAN
TO DEBUT AT AFGHAN EMBASSY

WASHINGTON – The Embassy of Afghanistan will be hosting a reception
to celebrate the publication of Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar: Children's
Songs from Afghanistan and honor its author Dr. Louise Pascale.
For many years, Louise Pascale dreamed of the songs she heard as a
young volunteer in Afghanistan, songs that she feared had been lost
forever. Today Ms. Pascale has partnered with a number of cultural
organizations and talented Afghan artists to create a stunning book
and melodic CD of songs that have been making expatriate Afghans long
for their childhood and their country.

The songbook project began in 1966 when Ms. Pascale was a United
States Peace Corps volunteer living in Kabul. During her service, Ms.
Pascale worked with Afghan poets and musicians to create a children's
songbook to be distributed to the local schools. Almost four decades
later Ms. Pascale made a commitment to return the songs, now almost
completely lost from the culture, back to the children of Afghanistan.
Through a partnership with Ayenda: The Afghan Children Initiative, the
National Geographic Society, Afghanistan's Ministry of Education and
celebrated Afghan musician Vaheed Kaacemy, Dr. Pascale was able to
make her dream a reality. Mr. Kaacemy has recorded 16 songs in Farsi,
Pushto, Uzbeki and Hazara as an accompaniment to the songbook.
Arsalan Lutfi, a talented Afghan graphic designer and President of
TriVision Studios created the book's attractive design.
For more information or to order the songbook, visit the Folk Arts
Center of New England website

Who:

• Said T. Jawad, Ambassador of Afghanistan
• Shamim Jawad, Founder of AYENDA: The Afghan Children's Initiative
• Dr. Louise Pascale, Founder and Author of Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar:
  Children's songs from Afghanistan

When: Friday, March 2 2007
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Where: Embassy of Afghanistan
2001 24th St. NW
Washington, DC 20010

REGISTRATION: Accredited members of the media are encouraged to
pre-register by contacting Joshua Gross:
gross@embassyofafghanistan.org , (202) 292 4285

Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar Book Release

Reception at the Embassy of Afghanistan

Welcome Remarks
by

H.E. Said Tayeb Jawad

Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States

Washington, DC

March 2, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Welcome to the Embassy of Afghanistan. It is a pleasure to host you all for a great cause and a happy occasion: the publication of Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar. We are truly honored to have you with us tonight. Allow me to acknowledge the presence of some of our distinguished guests:

Margaret McKenna, President of Lesley University,

Mahmood Karzai,

Also we’d like to extend our thanks to National Geographic, Arslan Lufti and TriVision, Vaheed Kaacamy, and AYENDA for working with Dr. Pascale to develop this wonderful project.

Welcome to our embassy.

We are delighted to have as our guest Dr. Louise Pascale. It was her dedication to the children of Afghanistan that transformed this project from a daydream into a reality. Louise first visited Afghanistan as a Peace Corp volunteer in the sixties. The Peace Corp was often the first exposure that Americans had to Afghanistan’s rich culture, as well as the first exposure that many Afghans had to Americans. The Americans who were guests in Afghanistan during this time period were forever touched by their experiences. Even today, former Peace Corp volunteers from Afghanistan publish a newsletter and stay in touch to reminisce and discuss the state of the country that was once their second home.

However, many of them didn’t realize the impact that they made on the tiny villages to which they were posted in remote corners of the country. After the Peace Corp left Afghanistan, some of these villages didn’t see another foreigner for years or even decades. But when American troops arrived in 2002, the village elders would ask them if they knew John or Fred or Joe, if they were well, if they were happy. You see, they could only imagine America as a mirror to their own village, where everyone knew one another, and they wanted to check in on their old friends. The contributions that these passionate young men and women made to Afghanistan were not forgotten. Louise Pascale was one of these dedicated young people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dr. Pascale’s service did not end all those years ago when she left Afghanistan to return to her friends and her family in America. Like so many other Americans who have experienced the hospitality of our people, shared our food, and learned our customs she carried Afghanistan around in her heart. The book that we are celebrating tonight, Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar, is a great gift to three groups of people. First, it will enable Afghan children to reclaim another piece of their lost culture. Second, it will allow those of us who grew up with these songs to lose ourselves in the sights and smells and sounds of our own childhoods. And lastly, like a self-giving gift, it will bring back to Dr. Pascale the joyful sounds of Afghan children at play that she crystallized in her memory so many years ago.

Those of you who have visited Afghanistan know how dramatically our country has changed over the last five years, thanks our people’s determination to rebuild. The sight of frightened and abandoned children is being replaced by beautiful Afghan girls hurrying to school in their black and white uniforms and Afghan boys learning their math lessons under a tree in a small village.

Throughout Afghanistan’s tragic past, some thought that the solution to the problems in our country was to put guns in the hands of Afghan children. Today, people like Dr. Pascale are helping to right these wrongs. They are giving the children songs instead of guns, and teaching them how to sing and play instead of how to fight.

I would like to personally thank Dr. Pascale and her colleagues for helping young Afghans rediscover the joys of childhood. This is the greatest and most natural gift that anyone can give, and we are forever grateful.

Thank you.

News from Trust In Education

Trust In Education Newsletter Update on Our Village to Village Program in Afghanistan June 2007 In This Issue Pictures from Budd's Recent Trip From the Trenches, by Budd Mackenzie Donations Pictures from Budd's Recent Trip Greetings! Budd has returned from another successful trip to Afghanistan. Another 8,500 trees were planted, bringing the total to 21,481. The children were particularly excited to see him this time as their new soccer field was almost complete. When he arrived, they rushed from their classrooms to greet him and thank him. Sometimes the simplest things have tremendous impact. To read more, look at the May 2007 Progress Report. Best, Ann, Jonathan and Budd From the Trenches, by Budd Mackenzie When I last wrote I was in Afghanistan, only a few days from the "big day," when the Circus was coming to town. It was a logistical nightmare. Fifty student performers needed to be transported from Kabul to Lalander, a seventeen mile, hour and a half bus ride. The war torn roads to Lalander will destroy even the most resilient suspension systems. No problem, simply call the bus company. But, there are no bus companies. Rahmanaddin Namati spent six hours one afternoon flagging down privately owned buses in Kabul, negotiating for a pick up scheduled for 8:30 the next morning. The drivers proved to be "not interested" as were their passengers. Undaunted, Rahmanaddin headed out at 5 am the next morning, driven in part by a belief often relied upon in Afghanistan, "If it is God's will..." Three and a half hours later two buses arrived on time. The cost per bus for six hours was $40. There were acrobats, jugglers, singers, comedians, and a community feast. One sketch had a huge banner, identifying and warning the children of land mines and explosive devices. The lesson was in part delivered by song! A good time was had by all. Well, almost all. Thirty minutes before the show began,I realized not a single woman and less than 12 girls were in attendance. Later that day I asked a small group of women why they had not attended. In response I was told "Well things are different here than they are in Kabul". The answer was delivered as a statement of fact without emotion or comment. I left the topic there. In a society where people have been threatened and punished for expressing their views, it's frequently difficult to have an open discussion on "sensitive" topics. Fear is a silencer. I must confess that I returned home discouraged by "circus day". While Lalander currently remains free of the Taliban, we are painfully aware of the war they are continuing to wage in Afghanistan. That war includes burning down schools, threatening educators and families with daughters in school. Some who have refused to heed Taliban warnings have lost their lives. But, even in a village where a significant number of families have chosen to send their daughters to school, a "woman's place" does not include attending a circus. Once back in the States, I decided to research our own history of women's rights. In 1850 a national convention was held in New York to discuss women's rights. The convention adopted several goals, one of which was establishing a woman's right to vote. When was that right granted? In the past two weeks two fourth graders at different schools provided me with the correct answer. Women achieved the right to vote in 1920, by amendment to the US Constitution. Colorado was the first state to ratify the amendment in 1893. Therefore, it took 43 years for the first state and 70 years for the United States to recognize a woman's right to vote. What's the lesson? The struggle for the most basic freedoms for Afghan women will be a long one. It's a struggle that will be won, one mind at a time. We, and particularly I, must be patient and steadfast in our commitment. The consequences of retreating are unthinkable. Donations It is readily apparent from daily news reports that Afghanistan's future is at stake. It is imperative that we join the Afghans now in their struggle for the most basic freedoms. There is no such thing as a small contribution in a country whose annual per capita income is less than $300 a year. You can make a difference. Send a check or money order (any currency) to: Trust In Education PO Box 936 Lafayette, CA 94549 -OR- Donate with PayPal. PayPal is a Web site that accepts credit card and bank transfer payments. You need to set up a PayPal account to donate via PayPal. This requires providing credit card and/or bank information. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are accepted. Learn More :: info@trustineducation.org :: http://www.trustineducation.org :: (925) 299-2010