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A Harvest of Hope in Afghanistan October, 2006 Reflections 25 million pennies raised by American Students for Peace. As we walked outside of his offices, one could visibly see the sense of joy in his face! President Karzai gracefully placed his signature hat upon his head and walked into the formal room for a presentation of our fresh grapes and pomegranates. As I presented the boxes that were branded with the ROOTS OF PEACE LOGO of Afghan Sweet Grapes, the marketing concept was clear as his hand reached in to pull out the fruits of his soils. The pomegranates were branded in a new corrugated box with the term AFGHAN GROWN prominently fixed on the decorated box. I explained that when Roots of Peace originally arrived in Afghanistan, the farmers were carrying the grapes on burlap sacks to market which bruised the fruit and provided no market identification. Now, by establishing the first cold storage chain, Roots of Peace is helping Afghan farmers to export fresh grapes across borders so that there is a shelf life for this beautiful produce. As he glanced at the box, he saw our new RoP website for the Afghan farmers. President Karzai proudly held up the pomegranate and explained to the audience the best way to eat this delicious fruit harvested from the fields of his boyhood dreams in Kandahar! Afghanistan’s recent history has left it one of the poorest countries in the world. Agricultural development will go a long way to improve Afghan lives and Roots of Peace is proud to help Afghanistan achieve its potential—one footsteps at a time. The events of the day were later seen on Afghan National Television, as the footsteps of two mothers of Afghan and American heritage brought “hope” to a country in transition. A special “tashakor” to Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad, Mrs. Shamim Jawad and Ashraf Haidari for taking the risk to believe in the heart of a mother, as the “gift” of compassion may help to heal the wounds of war in Afghanistan by replacing the scourge of landmines with the nectar of fresh grapes and pomegranates! …From Mines to Vines… Inshallah! |
