Meeting Shamim Jawad in Dubai
10/2006 - Continuing my 24 hour journey to Afghanistan, I finally arrived at Ariana Airlines located at Terminal 2 in Dubai. There, I found the familiar face of Shamim Jawad, wife of the Afghan Ambassador to the United States, beaming at me with her beautiful smile as we embraced on the soils of the United Arab Emirates.
We had met on several occasions in both Washington, D.C. and New York to discuss the atrocities of landmines where innocent children are robbed from their childhood dreams in her homeland of Afghanistan which has now become the most heavily mined country in the world.
Many empathetic conversations have occurred over the years with concerned individuals, yet I suddenly realized the deep respect within my heart for this courageous woman of Afghan descent to join me as the International Chair of the Roots of Peace Penny Campaign.
Shamim’s long-term dedication to advocate for women and children’s rights in Afghanistan led us to this moment of destiny. Together, we were determined to walk in the name of peace leaving a legacy of footsteps on behalf of an Afghan and American mother to remove the seeds of terror caused by landmines from our one earth.
As we gazed into one another’s eyes, we realized that it was time to WALK THE TALK.
