Generations of wars in Afghanistan have left many families without a father and many children in orphanages. Although government orphanages do their best to care and educate their children, much of the education focuses on reading the Koran and limiting exposure to other important aspects of education.
This past year, one Morning Star family has started to work in a local orphanage, developing the life and sports skills for about 50 Afghan boys. These teens develop discipline and receive instruction in their life. Even some of the adults from our nearby Institute for Leadership Development come over to volunteer their time.
One day, as the boys were playing cricket, a 20-year-old boy drove up on his motorcycle. He came over to the program director as the boys were playing and said, ‘I lived at this orphanage from the age 8 to 18 years. In the 10 years I was here, we never played sports. What you are doing is amazing.’ The young man was given an opportunity to share a life lesson he learned from his time at the orphanage with all of the boys. This affirmed that because of this project, these boys have the opportunity to learn new skills, deepen their friendships, be challenged, and even for a moment forget about their extreme challenges by having a ton of fun.