Ben Turnbull writes on May 8, 2011:

Daughter Gwendy and I have been exchanging information for her to pass on to her 7^th grade students concerning my activity in Afghanistan.  I thought that my classmates might like to see this exchange.

The ACE Weekly newsletter (click here) tells a little bit about our trip to Bamyan in an easy to digest format.  The map (click here) shows where Bamyan is -  right in the center of Afghanistan.  By the way, I also went on the trip to Jalalabad earlier in the week, which is mentioned in the Newsletter.

All of the "dignitaries” left Kabul for Bamyan in two helicopters.  There was about 30 of us, including the American Ambassador and the Afghan Minister of Agriculture.  We departed from the grounds of the U. S. Embassy at about 9 am and arrived in Bamyan at about 10 am.  At the small Bamyan airport, we all loaded in armored vehicles and headed into the country-side for our ceremony. The site of our gathering was actually a girls’ school in a small but beautiful valley about 15 miles from the landing strip and main population center of Bamyan. 

To be able to drive into the country with an Ambassador was pretty unusual for a country at war.  The reason we could do this shows one very unique thing about Bamyan province compared to the rest of Afghanistan.  There are no insurgents (Taliban) operating there and security is not a problem.  The population is Hazara, a distinct racial group made up of Chinese and Mongolian ancestors and practicing a different type of religion from the rest of the Afghan people.  They are Shia Ismaili Muslims and are part of a community of ethnically and culturally diverse peoples living in over 25 countries around the world, united in their allegiance to His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan (known to the Ismailis as Mawlana Hazar Imam) as the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader), and direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).  Historically, the Hazara have been suffered severe prejudice and suppression in Afghanistan and know if the Taliban return to power they again will be faced with great hardship.  Their solution to this threat is simply to kill any Taliban that set foot in their beautiful province.

The girls’ school was actually just a rocky piece of ground with a stone fence around it and the "school house” was two tents donated by the UNICEF.  There are no desks and no heat.  But the school is so important to the girls that they come in winter and sit on the ground to have a chance to learn.  Several of them sang the National Anthem of Afghanistan to begin the ceremony.  I was told that they arrived at sunup to practice and were in their very best uniforms.  Their performance was great!

Dad and Murtaza (our loan officer who has done a spectacular job on this loan program) with local kids in front of the "girls school”.	The school tent itself.  There is one more exactly the same next to it.
Inside the school.	The American Ambassador talking to the girls who go to the school.
The girls singing the National Anthem.	Dad and his new friend were given a comfortable seat and are listening to the speeches.