“Today, America affirms its full commitment to a future of progress and stability for the Afghan people,” Bush said. “… America will continue to provide (Afghanistan) with essential short-term relief. We also understand that Afghanistan needs long-term economic reconstruction help. And we will meet this commitment, as well.”

Bush described how, in addition to providing food, medicine and other immediate assistance, U.S. aid is helping repair and rebuild infrastructure, as well as give children the chance to go to school.

"I am pleased to see that President Bush recognizes the need for comprehensive, long-term assistance for the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the area of education,” Bell said. “As CARE works with Afghan families to rebuild their communities, we see how eager they are for their children to go to school. Ensuring that young girls and boys have access to education is one of the most important investments toward creating a more stable, secure Afghanistan.”

Right now, CARE education projects are helping build schools and provide supplies such as notebooks, pencils and textbooks. We’ve provided “refresher” training to more than 3,000 teachers in the past year. We’re reaching nearly 30,000 students, nearly half of which are girls, in more than 330 villages in Afghanistan.

“… I know it's hard … to believe that the Afghan people were living under a government that would not let girls go to school,” Bush said. “It's just hard to imagine in America. But it's reality. And now we've got a lot of work to do to make up for lost time.

Education is just one area of CARE’s poverty-fighting work in Afghanistan. We’re also helping communities rebuild houses and public works, restart agriculture production and obtain sources of clean water. In addition, CARE continues to provide food and other emergency supplies to some of the most vulnerable people in the country, including children and widows.

While Bush said there is a new sense of hope in Afghanistan, it will take sustained, substantial support from the rest of the world to ensure that the hope doesn’t dim.

"The international donor community needs to fulfill and increase its pledges to rebuild the country,” Bell said. “To truly make a lasting difference in Afghanistan, we must commit for the long term."

To join CARE’s efforts to overcome poverty in communities around the world, please click here.

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