3.16.06 – First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush; Dr. Khaled Hosseini; and Distinguished guests:

Thank you, Mrs. Bush, for your inspiring speech. We are truly honored to have you at our home tonight. I would like to join my husband in thanking you for your sincere devotion to helping the children of Afghanistan, and for supporting Ayenda, the Afghan Children Initiative.

I had the privilege of accompanying the First Lady on her first historic trip to Afghanistan last year. I saw how much she cares for empowering the women of Afghanistan, and I was struck by the love she showed to the children we met in Kabul. I vividly remember our brief stop at the bakery, and the First Lady’s inspiring chat with three youngsters, who she gave white and blue kaleidoscopes as a keepsake and to signify U.S. commitment to Afghanistan.

I would like to thank Dr. Khaled Hosseini for accepting my invitation and coming all the way from California to show his support to the children of our country.

We are also honored by the presence of Mrs. Joyce Rumsfeld, Reverend Kathi Card, and Mrs. Lynne Pace. I greatly admire their firm commitment to the children and orphans of war; thank you for being here this evening.

I am grateful to the Undersecretary for Global Affairs, Paula Dobransky, for her continued support and dedication to Afghan women and children. Under her visionary leadership as co-chair of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, the long-term welfare of the Afghan children has become a special focus of the Council.

I would like to thank all members of the USAWC for their outstanding support and generous contributions to Ayenda, the Afghan Children Initiative.

My special thanks go to Ayenda’s co-chair, Mr. Timothy McBride, Senior Vice President of Freddie Mac, for his sincere efforts for the Afghan children. Mr. McBride was the first and leading Council member to commit his personal support to the Afghan Children Initiative. Without his assistance and guidance, tonight’s event could not have been possible. I am also grateful to Freddie Mac for underwriting tonight’s event.

Finally, my heart and special thanks go to all of you, our guests for your generosity and compassion, and to all my friends who have helped me tirelessly to make tonight’s event possible to benefit the Afghan children. Thank you.

Ladies and gentleman,

More than one third of Afghanistan’s population is children. They have been the primary victim of abject poverty, which engulfs our nation after decades of war and destruction. We have more than two million orphans alone. Many Afghan children, especially girls, still lack access to education, and grow up illiterate.

While 6 million children have gone back to school, some 80 percent of all school buildings remain destroyed and need reconstruction in Afghanistan. Classes are held under trees’ shadow or the kids study in large tents.

Tonight, your generous contributions will greatly benefit many schools and educational programs in the province of Bamiyan.

I strongly believe that with the generous and compassionate support of friends like you, we can work together to help children live their dreams for a better and secure future in Afghanistan.

Now, it is my utmost pleasure to introduce a distinguished Afghan writer, whose book has touched the hearts and souls of millions of people around the world: Dr. Khaled Hosseini, the well-known author of The Kite Runner. His insightful book has been on the New York Times Best Seller for 78 weeks. No book has ever told the story of the Afghan children better than Dr. Hosseini’s novel. Millions of people in the U.S. and around the world have gotten a vivid insight into the high hopes and deep wounds of the Afghan children through Hassan and Amir.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Khaled Hosseini!