I just booked a ticket; in less than three weeks I will be back in Mongolia!

From Afghanistan to Mongolia; I can’t wait to see the kids!

I am currently on a shoot in Afghanistan. “Afghan Voices”, is a documentary about a group of 17-20 year-old Afghans, who are training to become the next generation of journalists. It’s a great program and of course it makes my wheels spin, wondering how I could implement a similar program in Mongolia.

There are plenty of parallels between Afghanistan and Mongolia, which isn’t that surprising, after all both countries are in Asia. In the 13th century, Genghis Khan made it all the way to Afghanistan and a lot of Mongolians settled here; they are now known as the Hazaras. You can tell by looking at them, they are incredibly beautiful and look very Mongolian! Whenever I see a Hazara, I feel a little bit at home.

Unfortunately Afghanistan is still a recovering, poor country. There are plenty of children here who could use some support. But yesterday we heard about something very uplifting, the Afghan National Institute For Music, the first and only music school in Kabul. This school is a great example of what one person with a vision can accomplish. http://www.afghanistannationalinstituteofmusic.org/

Last week the school concluded its winter semester with a concert by the Afghan Youth Orchestra. Unfortunately we were advised that is wasn’t safe and didn’t go, but one of the young journalists who did go was so impressed by the musicians that he did a story on them, which we followed.