Imagine a nation reeling from thirty years of warfare and supression. Imagine a nation where 114 people per month continue to be maimed or killed from one of the estimated 10 million land mines inside its own borders. Imagine a nation where, until recently, girls were forbidden to go to school and both women and men were beaten, tortured or killed for the smallest of infractions. Imagine a nation where poverty and high infant mortality are commonplace. Imagine Afghanistan.

Yes, the challenges are great. But thanks to Save the Children and their partners in organizations such as CARE, Doctors Without Borders and others, many women and children in Afghanistan are empowered and filled with hope. Overcoming a generation of conflict is a long and delicate process...and success can't happen without funding and volunteer efforts from citizens around the world.

During April, 2005 Chip Duncan of The Duncan Group participated as an ambassador for the not-for-profit international relief agency Save the Children. The delegation had the opportunity to visit the capital city of Kabul as well as several Save the Children projects throughout northern Afghanistan. In village after village, Save the Children (US) and Save the Children (UK) have been successful in building schools, reducing childhood death and illness, coordinating basic health care and immunization programs for children and adults, providing training for midwives as well as pre and post natal care, and advocating for children's rights and protection from violence.

For more information on the programs being conducted by Save the Children in Afghanistan or elsewhere or for information on how to contribute to their efforts, please click here - SaveTheChildren.org. YOU can make a difference!

To view photos from the April, 2005 delegation visit, please click here