PEOPLE TO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL HELPING IRAQI CHILDREN

To many people, life is as usual.

It is pretty normal with all its routine activities.

They go to work every day

And come home to enjoy the family life.

Their children wake up in the morning and go to their schools.

At school, they open their bags, they pull out their books,

And they get busy with their daily learning activities.

They don't have to think about their school supplies,

Where they come from or who provides them.

All they know is, you can buy them in the shopping malls.

When they run low on their supplies, they ask for more

And their parents make sure they don't run out of those things.

These children do not realize how lucky they are.

For many millions of children around the world, it is very different.

To have their own books, pencils, and other things is not easy.

Sometimes, they only dream about having them.

Think about all the children in war-torn Iraq.

They are lucky if they have a roof over their heads

And adequate food to eat every day.

They wish their lives were not disrupted,

Their school buildings were intact,

And they didn't have to worry about having adequate school supplies.

Most people don't think about those deprived children in Iraq.

But, Mary Jean Eisenhower worries about all of them.

She wants those Iraqi children to get a proper education,

By getting the school supplies that they desperately need.

Under her leadership, many kind-hearted people have gathered here today

To pack school supplies to be shipped to Iraq.

Let us hope these innocent children benefit a lot from them.

I pray one day these children become members of People to People, Intl.

And sincerely work to promote `peace through understanding'.

--Saleem A. Khan 9/16/06