Friday, March 25, 2011

Week of April 4-8, Letters to Greg from students

Hi everyone,
This week you will pretend to be a student in either Pakistan or Afghanistan.
In Google Docs, write a letter to Greg Mortenson.
  1. Introduce yourself (as if you are student from Pakistan or Afghanstan).

  2. Tell Greg Mortenson why you want to go to school.

  3. Tell Greg Mortenson why you appreciate his work.

  4. Closing.
Post your letter on our blog.

Then read two other students letters and respond.

45 comments:

  1. Dear Greg Mortenson,
    First of all thank you. As a Afghan born I owe it to you big times. Because of you the light of education have brighten our life along with our village. My name is “Salem” and I’m 16. And I’m a student of a high school. Even last year I couldn’t say it because there were no formal high school and with all the distraction I couldn’t focus on my education. Although my hunger to learn kept me in touch of education but never fully got me. But now I have the opportunity to learn and make my future bright. I know education is the most powerful weapon as people “pen is mightier than a sword” and now I have that sword in my hand and I’ll use it to change the world and my country.

    Sincerely
    “Salem”

    SAKIB RAHAT

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Greg Mortenson

    I am Erblina Aga and I am a student at one of the schools that you built in Afghanistan. It is a really great honor for us to go to school and learn more and more every day. I am making a lot of friends because now everyone is going to school and we talk/play everyday. It is a really great experience.
    There are a lot of reasons why I want to go to school. Some of them are : I want to learn and educate myself, I want to interact with other people and hear their opinion about every matter. I want to also go to school because I wouldn’t imagine how the rest of my life would be without education and friends.
    I appreciate to the fullest impact that you built schools for us. Now we aren’t just children wondering around the streets with nothing better to do. Now we have something that will help us motivate and that is education
    Thank you very much for everything you have done for us.

    Sincerely ,
    Erblina Aga

    ReplyDelete
  3. Then read two other students letters and respond.

    Dear Greg Moternson
    My Name is Angelit0, and I’m a Pakistani student. Im writing to thank you for all the things you done for us. I would like to go to school so I can succeed in my life. I really appreciated your work , because you are giving me and all the Pakistani kids the opportunity to get a good education. We will very glad to get you in our country any time you want. Att angelit0

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  4. Dear, Greg Mortenson

    My name is Sarah, I am here to tell you how much I want to go to school and it is very hard for my parents to pay the school allowance. I have no one else to turn to, we’re extremely poor and very little to survive. Although the schools are very far to go to, even though I had the opportunity to attend to any schools it would be much harder for me to travel. Mostly we have to walk everyday for about two or more hours to reach the school’s destination. It is a pain for everyone in my village, no one in my family went to school I would be the first to attend in my generation. It would be an honor for me to hold my families up and make a better way to survive. I want to make a difference in my village, a difference to education. I think if I do, it will make me more proud of what I can become, more successful to my village and my family.

    Sincerely, Lovely Richardson…

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  5. Dear Mr. Greg,

    My name is Syrone Salvador, I’m 17 years old and I’m from the country of Afghanistan. I live in a village next to Korphe, a village that I heard you’ve helped build a school for children like me. I am writing to you because I really want to have an Education. My parents never had education, I want to make a difference and so I can share it to my future children as well. I believe that Education is one way to bring a family honor and your country a difference. I also think that education is something that you can treasure for the rest of your life and I want to prove that to the rest of the Afghan people and somehow, hopefully, I could inspire them to do the same thing. I’ve heard that in America, children who are in ages like mine are donating pennies. Those Pennies that are somehow worthless there and costs a pencil here. I find it very fascinating that people like my age are able to help people in a small way and I hope that help would be able to reach us here. I really do hope this letter would be able to reach you and I wish you more success in your endeavors.


    Sincerely,

    Syrone Salvador
    Afghanistan

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  6. Dear, Greg Mortenson.
    I want to thank you for all the things that you are doing for us. My name is Salem and I am come from Afghanistan. I am 10 years old. Before you came to us we didn’t have any education, our teacher was coming to us once a week it wasn’t enough for us. And sometimes our parents didn’t have money to afford him. I want to go to school because I want to educate myself I want to think more about thinks that are going on in Afghanistan and I want to know how to read and write. I appreciate your work because I was so happy when I knew I will have school to go to. I don’t know how to thank you for that.
    Thank you so much,
    Salem

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  7. @ angelo i agree education is important for succes.
    @ syrone agree education can change the world
    @ lovely awesome writing n agreed it's really nice of him to help the people who can afford education

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  8. Dear Mortenson,

    First I would like to thank you for doing all your hard work for us. You give us chance to make our life bright. Now I know what education means in life. And why people say education is the light of life. I think lack of education make our life like that. Most of the people in our country are uneducated. So they don’t know what is good for them. And our religion also prefers boys to decide everything. So it’s hard to change their mind. But you are the man who’s trying to change it. I like school because it helps me to learn new things. Now I could read and write. And also I am the first one in my family. And I would try to help my next generation. And this will help my family and society. So many thanks to you.
    dipro

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  9. Dear Mr. Greg,
    Hi, my name is Weiwei Liu from Pakistan. I’m 18 years old, and I really appreciate that I can go to school.
    Going to a school is so important for me. First of all, I can learn new stuff there every day. School gives me knowledge so that I can use it in my life. Such as language, I learn it in school, and then I can communicate with people. Also, I have chance to meet new friend in school. School is like a small community; children live in there and help each other. Children have to go to school; it’s like adult have to get a job.
    As you know, my country is poor. So that a part of children in my country don’t have a chance to go to school. But when you built school for us, you gave us hopes. Children have chance to go to school, it’s important for us. I’m really appreciated with it. Thank you so much!
    I hope more children can have a chance to go to school just like me. Also, good luck for your work and take care.
    Sincerely,
    Weiwei Liu

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  10. Dear Greg Mortenson,
    Hi!How are you?I am a girl.I am a Pakistan student.By your help,I get an opportunity to have education.I am trying to get high grades for thanking you.In school,I am hard studying.I am so happy and excited when the teachers talk about you.I know I can have this opportunity just because you give us.If I did’t meet you,my family is still blind and dark.I like every thing that you bring to me.Iknow every thing it is hard to get.My family don’t have enough money,so when I get,I protect my books,pens and pencils very carefully.The books,pens and pencils are helpful for my study.
    I love to study because I think I can become an educated,moral intelligent person after I was educated .I am very interested in science and math.I think they can help our life a lots,such as our body,health,buildings and business.I like our school,I go to school every day and on time.I feel I am happy during the school time.I can learn new knowledges.I can converse to my friends and teachers.I know if I can have many knowledges,I will have a great future. There is a reason about my parents.They want me to study hard,so I can get a nice job. My life won’t as hard as them.
    I appreciate you because you did what you said.You had overcome many troubles for building a school for Pakistan children.You didn’t have money to build a school but you used your brain to think about many ways.I will learn from you.When I have a problem,I will go to face it and overcome it.
    A student
    Yanyan Xia

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  11. Dear Greg Moternson

    I am Guseynov Alisher and I am a student at one of the schools that you built in Pakistan. It is a really great honor for us to go to school and learn more and more every day. I am making a lot of friends because now everyone is going to school and we talk/play everyday. It is a really great experience.
    There are a lot of reasons why I want to go to school. Some of them are: I want to learn and educate myself and know some history of my country, I want to interact with other people and hear their opinion about every matter. I want to also go to school because I wouldn’t imagine how the rest of my life would be without education and friends.
    I appreciate to the fullest impact that you built schools for us. Now we aren’t just children wondering around the streets with nothing better to do. Now we have something that will help us motivate and that is education.
    Thank you very much for everything you have done for us.

    Sincerely
    Guseynov Alisher

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear, Greg Mortenson
    My name is Jie, I am a student from Pakistan, I have enter in that school it is you build for us, you give us the light that tell me where we go and what we really wants. My parents never got education; they live only for alive nothing else. Then work very hard even without rest, I usually ask them what they want, they tell me they don’t know only because they alive. Now I have to go to school, I have read story for it discuss a beautiful community, I tell them we can have hope and dreams.
    Dear Greg Mortenson. Thank you for give our hope and begin to have dream. I want to go to school and learn knowledge and learn how to be a human. Before I get education I didn’t thinking things. But know I begin to think and study book. School bring many many happy and fun time for me. I know we are same and we are in one beautiful world.
    I appreciate your works, and when I grow up I want to follow your step to teach and help people and I will keep my promise. I can keep it.
    Sincerely,
    JieYu

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  13. Dear Greg Mortenson
    My name is Pablo, am one of the student of the school you built in Pakistan. I am writing this letter to thank you for building the school for us to give us the opportunity to study. I want to go to school because I want to have the opportunity to study hard and be a educated person in the future, because it will help me in my life. I appreciate your work because we don’t have any school in here and thanks to your action we will have access to education. Thank you again for building a school for us we will be thankful forever.

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  14. Dear Mr. Greg Mortenson
    How are you? First thing I want to say thank you to you, you save those children just with little pennies. I am a student from Pakistan. I am 19 years old boy. My family is very poor, but my parents still let me go to school. I feel so lucky about it. I like to go to school and study hard, because I know I need to get a good job and take care of my family, that’s my first gold of my life. I think that’s not hard for me to reach if I try hard. Also, every time I go to school in the morning I feel so happy because I can get the education and play with other children in the school. I’m so appreciate of your work. You let everyone knows the problems in Pakistan and you solved the problems. Those are so great for children who live in there. Now they have the chance to get the education. Thank you for you to doing that. Thank you.
    Sincerely
    Heng

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  15. Dear Mr. Greg
    Hi. My name is jiajun, and I am a 7th grade student in Pakistan.
    I am writing this letter to you because I want to say thank you for all the work you have done for us. Before you the school was build, I only go to school twice a week. Even there is no teacher there, and I have to lie down on the dirty, but I still enjoying those two days. I like to go to school not only I can make friends there and play with them, but also I learned many new things from school.
    We are not living in a rich country, not all the kids can go to school. The work you have done helped us and provide a better situation for us to educate ourselves.

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  16. Mr. Mortenson

    My name is Daniel Maldonado. I am from Korph, the town you decided to help by building a school. I am very grateful for the job that you are doing in our countries. Thank you a lot. Mr. Mortenson your help was amazing. I want to let you know that I am going to college in France and all of this is because of you. Again I just want to say thank you. Mr. Greg Mortenson the one that help all our community to gain knowledge, the one who changed our minds of improving peace instead of war, you are our hero.
    All my friends are also very grateful with you. They all are studying in different places of the world, and as I know they are the best students of their classes. I hope it make feel very proud of your self.

    Without anything else to say than thank you,

    Sincerely,
    Daniel Maldonado

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  17. Syrone you did good job with the letter

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  18. @sakib, I also think education is power.
    @ lovely, your comment really explain their life now and before.
    @syrone, education could also change their life

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  19. To dipro,
    I think you are so lucky to be the first educated one of your family.I hope you can treasure this oppotunity,learn more from your school.

    By Yanyan Xia

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  20. Dear Greg;

    My name is Jeannette Neto and I am a student at Pakistan. I feel so fortunate by having the opportunity to write a letter to you. I have been reading your book “Three Cups of Tea”. I find it very interesting and inspiring for people to help the education in our country. Unfortunately, we have a poor education system. People who go to school are very lucky. Most people who go to school are boys. Girls have less chance to get an education.

    I am one of the few girls who could get the chance to study. I want to go to school because I like to learn new things. Also, I know that without education I mean nothing. Unfortunately, that’s something our government doesn’t understand. They prefer boys rather to girls to go to school. We, girls have also the same rights and capability to study and succeed.

    What I have read so far in your book is amazing. I really admire you because you have had sacrificed your own life just to accomplish your beautiful goal. It is sad to know that children in Pakistan don’t have access to education. Your idea of collecting pennies to help them is really collaborative. I can’t believe that a penny can buy a pencil for children in Pakistan.

    As a Pakistani girl who is going to school I want to thank you for spending your time in working for. Thank you for building schools for us. God bless you!

    Sincerely,

    Jeannette Neto

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  21. To rahat. Very true to know that education can make such brightness in someone’s life.
    To erblina. Im so happy to learn that having the opportunity to go to school makes you so happy and more friendly to others.

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  22. "MADE BY FERNANDO"

    Hello Greg Mortenson I am Fernando and I am student from the school of Pakistan and the reason of this letter is to tell you why I like to go to the school there are many reasons but the most important are because we need to be prepared for our future , get good opportunities for jobs and we can help to support our family and the most important is for obtain knowledge and after do get this we can work or do whatever we like to do so that’s why I appreciate your work that you did for us even though you did a lot sacrifices for make this dream true thank you a lot in name of all the people of this city thank you and we hope that people take advantage of this sacrifices and make their dreams true otherwise the sacrifices made in vain and will do not good for the community that’s why they have to take advantage and study.

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  23. yes we do need the school not just be educated but also to see new world

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  24. @WeiWei I agree, we need to thinks many people their help us to change.
    @Dipro I agree we need study hard and do best we can.

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  25. @Erblina:
    I agree with your reason that the reason you want to go to a school, if we didn’t get educated, we can’t see our future.
    @Salvador:
    WOW! What a great idea. You said you want to prove that to the rest of the Afghan people and somehow, hopefully, I could inspire them to do the same thing, and I totally agree with it.

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  26. Dear Greg Mortenson:

    I’m an Afghanistan student with many goals to achieve, but first of all I have to go to school and thanks to you ill have the opportunity to attend. I want to go to school to learn what I haven’t during these last years, also I want to make new friends and have some fun during my school term. I really appreciate your work you have a big heart for trying to build more and more schools for kids like me specially girls that don’t have the chance. the place, the conditions, and the opportunities to go to the school and to not get involved in the violence, terrorism of our country. Thanks again hope everything is doing well.

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  27. Hi Greg,
    My name is Su yang and I’m from Pakistan. I’m writing this letter to you to show how grateful I am for what you have done. I always dream to be a better person with high education. School is very important in today’s world because the people with well educated are the next leaders of our world. That why I’m pushing myself harder so I can be one of the greatest leaders in the world. Thanks to you for bringing hope in the mind of people that didn’t even think that one day we will be seating in school and learning. For me I never thought that one day I will able to go in school and learn. It like bringing me back to life and starting a new beginning in a new life style. Now I’m feeling equal to all children of my age going to school learning English, Math and Science. Thank you for changing lives of many children in our country. May God bless you

    Sincerely, Su yang

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  28. @ Yanyan: I really liked your letter because you specified your feelings why you wanted to go to school. Your feelings really express how a pakistani girl feels because of going to school.

    @ Maciej: I liked the crativity you had to named yourself Salem. I like that name.

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  29. @liu,weiwei
    I agree with you. It is important to educate children.

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  30. @Erblina
    Good reason about school and why we need it in order to success

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  31. i agree with you Daniel because knowledge is the greatest gift ever. knowledge is something that will stay with you forever and ever so well done

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  32. Education is the best gift that people can receive because it is forever.

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  33. Hello everyone, my name is John, I am native from Pakistan a small and beautiful country in whih childrens like me don’t have the opportunity to study because my country is poor and nobody do nothing to give us the right to study. Something special that I can tell you is that, after many years door of hope for all us, for all childrens who never had before the opportunity to have the opportunity to study. I have to thank mr. Greg Morrison because the firdt time when he come to my country, he didn,t found any school for that reason he promise us to build the first school. I have to tell him that i want to go school because in my country I can see everday people who have many necessities but we don’t have the souces to help them, that’s why I want to study to and be a teacher or a doctor because I want to teach at childrens the value of education because I think that in other countries people or childrens who have money and have more advantagefrom others they don’t really care about education, about be sucessful ijn life and help other, for this reason I want to be a teacher and help my students to help the value of study, and also I want to be a doctor to help other people who are very sick. Mr. Greg I really appreciate your work because you give us the hope to build a better country with opportunities to be sucessful persons and help each other.
    The last thing that I can said is Thank you dear Greg to build an opportunity to study and in the future we will do the same thing with the next generations to build a good country a best place to live.
    “ GOD BLESS YOU “

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  34. Hi Mr.Greg:
    My name is wenyu,liu and I am from Afghanistan. I’m 19years old but I never go to school before, because I’m from a poor family, and I have to help my parents do the household at home. I am a female; also my family should support my young brother to go to school, and we have to do the work and earn the money, so this is why I can’t go to school. You know what, I’m really want to go to school, but it is a secret for ever and ever because I can’t tell my parents and anybody. I understand nobody could help me. Go to school--It just likes a sweet dream.
    I heard my young brother said school is an amazing place, for there has a lot of book we never see and touch before. I am really wanted to open and read that books very well, but I just imagine, then I feel better. I live in a small village with my family 19 years, I remember when I was 14 years old and I went to the big city with my father. We went to sale the clothes. Those clothes were darn from my mom and me. The people don’t like to talk with me, so we went to a wrong place to sale the clothes. When the policemen came and tell us can’t sale over there and they let us look a paper on the wall…I’m sorry because I can not understand what’s paper write down. I am really want to know what’s mean of this quote! So I want to go to school, then I will learn how to read and write.
    I heard Mr.Greg can help me and a lot of children as well as me. We want to go to school of Mr.Greg. First, we just want to try to link with Mr.greg, and he was very friendly. Greg said we can join in the school anytime and we will have 3 new books. The books were free. Now, I can open, touch and read books!! I am so happy! Thank you Mr. Greg because he builds a school to us.
    I am wenyu,liu. Now I was a student in Mr.Greg school. Welcome every child to this school!! Have fun. Thanks Greg again.

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  35. yes Jeannette boys and girls are the same and the both need an equal education because we will never know what might happen in the future that why i believe we all have the right to education and education doesn't look if you are a boy or a girl... :)

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  36. Dear Greg Mortenson,
    My name is Weifeng. I am the one who has a dream, but you make it come true. This dream is one day I can go to school. After you build our school, you give the chance to go to school. Before, I was dream about school, friends, and teachers. Right now my dream becomes true. I want to thank you for all you did. Right now, I am the only one who has the chance to go to school. I am so proud of myself. After I finish my school day, I can teach math, science, little English, and how to write in our language to my mother and my big sister. I really appreciate your work. You light up all of our dream and life. Everyone in our village wants to say thank you to you. Finally, the only thing that I can say is thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Weifeng

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  37. Dear Erblina,
    It is great to read your letter, the dream for poor people is education and go to school.

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  38. Dear Weiwei,
    I like your HOPE, I also hope everyone can go to school in this world. The more education we have, the better life we will got.

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  39. Dear Greg Mortenson
    My name is Crystel Cabrera, im 17 years old, and im from Pakistan. First of all I want to thank you for for all the help and support you have provided in my country. I am very grateful because you have been the reason of many smiles, from the boys and girls who now can attend to school to receive and education. I feel so lucky, because thanks to you my dream has come true, you brought hope to my people, you brought opportunities. I hope maybe some day, in the future I would be like you, a person full of determination to fufill my promises and dreams. Thank you very much! En education is the best gift a kid can receive.
    Thank you again Mr. Greg. May God bless you!

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  40. Dear: Greg Mortenson


    I am Abdul I have 10 years old. I am a student from Pakistan. I want to say thank you for everything that you have been doing for me and for all the people from Pakistan. Thanks for your help that changed our lives and you made us happy to live a new life like a normal person having the right to study and giving us a place where we can go and make our dreams come true. I want go to school because I want learn new things I want get education and knowledge of others things. I want be someone important in the life so one day I can help others who need same like you are doing for us. I appreciate all your work which is very helpful and important for us because with all this things you are giving us hope to one day have a better future and all the families can live better. Thank you Mr, Greg for everything for all your help.



    Sincerely, Abdul




    By, Silvia S

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  41. Dear Greg Mortenson,

    I am Kams K, I am from Afghanistan and I am one of the student who goes in the school that you built. All my life I’ve wanted to know how it feels to be in a classroom. I have a lot of dreams which I know won’t come true as long as I’m staying home without education. I want to be successful and a very respectful person in my country and this world. I truly need education in order to be someone in my life. Moreover, I just want to let you know how grateful I am for what you have done for me. Not just me but other children of Afghanistan as well. I can immediately imagine all my dreams coming true, and seeing myself like I always wished. I awfully thank you for your actions, and your generosity towards us.

    Sincerely,

    Kams K

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  42. Dear Mr. Mortenson,

    I’m Christian Sugiarto and I’m a student from the schools that you built in Afghanistan. It’s a wonderful experience for having a school in this place. I will go to school everyday and use this school as much as I can. Now, I have lots of friends without any problem. We love the school that you built and I would never skip a day, even if I get sick!
    There are several reasons why I always wanted to go to school. I want to learn anything that my parents doesn’t have chance to learn. I can hang out with friends and talk to them, discussing about schools, homework and things. I’m so grateful for having you to build the school.
    I can only say thank you to you. Now, we can go to school, learning new things and become an educated person. Knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. That’s all because of you.
    Again, thank you very much Mr. Mortenson!

    Best,

    Chris

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  43. Dear Greg Mortenson,
    My name is Fatma Jahan and I am 16 years old. The purpose of writing this letter to you is to thank you for building school in our village. Recently I study in the school that you have built for us. It is an opportunity for me to brighten my future and go ahead to the highest point of the success. Because I am a girl I didn’t have any priority to go to school even we didn’t have school. So even though we wanted to educate ourselves and live our life like others do, we couldn’t because we didn’t have enough guide or support to lead us to that path or give us such an opportunity. I appreciate all the deeds that you have done for us over the past years and so. Now I can hope for a better life with the greatness of education.
    I can’t thank you enough for this. Thank you for your time.
    Sincerely,
    Fatma Jahan

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  44. Dear Greg,


    My name is Ahmed, I'm 17 years old boy, and I was born and raised in a small village in Pakistan. My parents didn't have the chance to even go to school, and I see what life had done to them. I clearly understand that school is the only way to succeed in life, and I want to have a chance to simply learn and be educated in order to bring change in this world, starting by my own country Pakistan.
    Personally, I think what you have been doing for the people of this country, and other countries is just fantastic and ridiculously kind of you. For you to help build schools to give every child the right to learn, a right everybody is supposed to have, is very generous. I want to thank you for that great work, and also ask if it was also possible for you to come in my village, which is not to far from Korphe, and bring as much happiness as you brought in every other villages you went to. You know here, you are kind of see as Santa and everyone of us is waiting for you impatiently.
    Hopefully that day will quickly come, until then we'll keep on praying and hope for the better soon.
    May God bless you.
    Ahmed

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