10.23.2010 – On Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, the Ayenda Foundation held its Fifth Annual Benefit Dinner with the internationally renowned Afghan writer Dr. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, as Guest of Honor at the historic Columbus Club in Union Station. Over 80 prominent guests attended, including the former president of Bolivia, President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador and Mrs. Gilles Noghès of Monoco, Ambasssador Claudia Fritsche of Lichtenstein, Ms. Jennifer Griffin, National Security Correspondent for Fox News, Ambassador Said Jawad, Founder and President of the Foundation for Afghanistan, Mrs. Shamim Jawad, Founder and President of Ayenda Foundation, Afghan girls attending schools in the Metro area, U.S. officials, members of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council and members of Afghan and international media.

As guests gathered at Columbus Club and enjoyed Afghan cuisine, president of the Ayenda Foundation, Ms. Shamim Jawad, welcomed the guests and thanked the host committee, the longstanding supporters of Ayenda, Mrs. Laura Bush, the former First lady of the United States, and the donors for their generosity and support for Afghan women and children. She briefed the guests about the current situation of women and children in Afghanistan, noting that many of the one million orphaned Afghan children still lack access to basic resources and education and Afghan women still struggle to find opportunities for work and access to healthcare. Ayenda Foundation, she explained, has helped meet these extreme needs by building a school for 300 children, mostly orphans, in Bamiyan, one of the poorest provinces in Afghanistan. Ayenda Foundation has sponsored a scholarship for four young female

students from the provinces to attend the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), a private institution of higher education. Ayenda has also helped fund the Women Poverty Reduction Program, in partnership with the Afghan Women’s Business Federation, through which women and children received food and school supplies. Lastly, Mrs. Jawad unveiled Ayenda’s most recent project, in partnership with the non-profit The Children of War, to build a new school for needy girls and boys in Maidan in the Wardak province. The school will open next month to serve 200 students and provide literacy classes for students’ parents.

Ambassador Said Jawad also addressed the audience, expressing his deep gratitude for the support provided by the friends of Afghanistan and of the event’s attendees and patrons. He introduced his longstanding friend Ambassador Melanne Verveer, who has been working very hard for more than a decade to assist Afghan women and children. Ambassador Verveer spoke passionately about her trips to Afghanistan and confirmed the commitment of Secretary Clinton and the U.S. administration to Afghan women and children. She also underlined the importance of continuing to invest in the women of Afghanistan as they will educate their families and children, building the foundation for a future Afghanistan free from warfare and hardship and full of opportunity, security and prosperity.

Ayenda’s guest of honor, Dr. Khaled Hosseini was interviewed later in the evening by Ms. Jennifer Griffin about his frequent trips to Afghanistan as Goodwill Ambassador of UNHCR. Ms. Griffin asked Dr. Hosseini about his impressions of the situation in Afghanistan. Dr. Hosseini replied that despite challenges, the economy is growing and roads are being built, families are working hard for a better future, and most importantly, in most parts of the country children are walking around proudly with their backpacks and attending schools. During a lively Q&A from the guests, Dr. Hosseini answered questions ranging from the autobiographical nature of his first book The Kite Runner to how he thinks the war in Afghanistan will come to an end. The program for the evening concluded with a video chronicle of Ayenda’s work and accomplishments. It highlighted the Afghan Children’s Songbook Project, the provision of funding for helping street children through the Aschiana Center in Kabul, and the building of mine-free school soccer fields at Mir-Bacha-Kot as well as donating soccer equipment and uniforms. The video ended with Ambassador & Mrs. Jawad’s recent visit to the Ayenda Learning Center in Bamiyan province, showing a busy and well-maintained school that has successfully enrolled students to its maximum occupancy.