I'm sitting at my desk in my warm home listening to the howling noise created by the Blizzard of 2010.  I'm almost too warm from the flames emanating from our beautiful, heat producing fireplace.

I'm very concerned about the weight of an immense amount of snow on the roof.  And, I am getting tired just thinking about the hours of shoveling that awaits as soon as the gale force winds subside.  It will make the 11^th trip, with shovel in hand, just to clear our driveway! 

I've lost income over the past few days because of the treacherous driving conditions that don't allow my clients to travel even a short distance.  But, that is really okay - I don't want them on the roads anyway.

None of these issues compares in the least to what my Afghan friends face every single day.  Many don't have a roof over their head to have to worry about the weight of the snow.  Their concern is finding enough firewood to have a small fire in their tent!  The children don't have boots like I will wear when I shovel the snow.  They are lucky to have a pair of shoes - with intact soles.  To feed their children, many women must beg and it's often from others' who are less fortunate than they are.

Please, allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Sharon Jacko and I am honored to be the President of Women of Hope Project.  I'd like to take just a few minutes to tell you a little about myself and why I volunteer to help the Afghan people.  More importantly, I want to update you on what your support and donations mean to the Afghan men, women and children.

I proudly served my Country for 26 years, recently retiring as a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel.  My love and passion for the women of both Iraq and Afghanistan began during my Iraq tour in 2004 when I was eyewitness to their despair.  I made a promise to myself then that I would somehow find a way to help my sisters.  I just didn't know what it looked like at the time.

A very good friend of mine, who met Betsy on a previous deployment to Afghanistan, insisted that I needed to meet her.  I, like all of you, was fascinated with her story.  But with my approaching retirement and not thinking I would ever find myself back in a war zone, didn't think it possible.

Three months after retiring in 2008, I found myself on an airplane heading to Afghanistan!  Mission: to meet Betsy and the women at the Center.  I went to teach the women business classes and self-esteem building with the wife of my good friend I mentioned earlier.  My friend was right about Betsy.  But what "had me" was when I looked into the eyes of these beautiful Afghan women.  What I saw in those eyes that have seen nothing but despair all of their lives, was...HOPE!  From that moment on, I was committed to Women of Hope Project.

Whether you are a volunteer, a donor, one who helps us spread the word, or have purchased a product from Women of Hope Project, you are changing the lives of Afghan women.  I want to add a few more thoughts to what you are doing toward world events.  It's something you may not have thought about before but it's important to bring it to your attention, especially now!      

The oppression of women worldwide is "the paramount moral challenge" of the present era, much as the fight against slavery was in the past.  When you make a generous donation, for instance, you do so much more than write a check.  You are helping to take on an enormous humanitarian issue!    When you make a purchase from one of our sales, you are directly impacting the impoverished Afghan women not only financially, but more importantly, you help to elevate them to turn around the future of their nation!  

I would be remiss if I did not address an immediate challenge we are faced with.  Since the surge of American troops, rent has tripled in Kabul.  Because of the unrest, access to the American base, where we hold several sales per week, is greatly restricted.  The women in the Project and the sales of their product are what allows the Center to continue operating.  Without sales, there is no Center.  Without the Center, there is no WOHP.  Without WOHP, many women and children who now receive an income and an education will have to return to begging from other poor Afghans or worse yet, be forced back into the shadows of their homes, into more oppression.  The biggest setback will be that the young GIRLS who are now going to school, because of WOHP, will no longer be able to go to school!  The women who are finally gaining the respect from their husbands and the village, because of WOHP, ceases; a woman loses her hard-earned voice!  Today, at this very moment, we need your donations more than ever before! 

WOHP began with an investment in women.  That initial investment, in women, is paying a multitude of benefits, not only to the women, but to their families, their children, to their village, and will continue to spread, allowing enough women to finally RISE ABOVE THE ASHES which in turn, will lead to other suppressed women in other countries finding a voice, and finally, world peace!
                                                                                                                                    Investment in girls' education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world!  Promoting gender equality is crucial to combat global poverty.  Promoting gender equality yields a "double dividend" by elevating not only women but also their children and communities.  It doesn't stop there.

A few months before my retirement, the Pentagon was gaining a deeper understanding of counterterrorism and became increasingly interested in grassroots projects such as girls' education.  Empowering girls, some in the military argue, would disempower terrorists.    The Joint Chiefs of Staff held discussions of girls' education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in 2008.  What our founder, Betsy Beamon, knew years ago about empowering women and the effects it would have worldwide, is now a serious topic that fits squarely on the international affairs agenda.

Your involvement in WOHP is a blessing.  But, we all have to take it up a notch.  We are at the crossroads!  Women across the globe need to help the cause of those less fortunate.  NOW!  Women in Afghanistan are counting on you.  Let's not let them down, not now.  Let's all join forces and make this a year to remember!  Give now!

On behalf of the WOHP Board of Directors, thank you for supporting Women of Hope Project!

Sincerely,

Sharon D. Jacko

President

Women of Hope Project