The Afghan Orphan Project

Eagle Scouts

Start Your Own Project
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Start Your Own Project

Thank you for your interest in supporting Iraq and Afghanistan Children. Operation Give and Fed Ex has partnered with TAO Project to ship items collected by Eagle Projects. As of Feb 2010, shipping can be free after getting approval from TAOProject. You will need to sort, box and label the items and deliver to a Salt Lake City address.

Drop Box: I have found that the exchange of applications, documentation, and approvals is greatly enhanced by using a tool called Drop Box. After you determine that this project is right for you, please send me an email requesting that you be added to The Afghan Orphan Project, Drop Box. I will send you the request, and you simply follow the instructions listed.

Here are the Items of greatest need. The concept you need to understand is, Afghanistan, in particular, does not have an infrastructure and the basic necessities of life are rare and hard to find. Please review this list and decide what you would like to concentrate on. You may pick all or just a few types of items to collect.

Important things to remember:

The Scout Committee reviewing your Eagle project is determining if you have the ability to develop a concept, make a plan, organize your troop and neighborhood with specific assignments, and then follow-up. They want to see if you can be a leader by directing your project. The worst thing you could do is perform all the work yourself or have your parents do it for you. You should be the orchestra director, providing direction and leadership for your project.
When you collect the items, you have chosen to focus on, sort and throw away any items that are not useable. The desirable items should be clean and of value. Shoes, coats, clothing does not need to be new, but should be in good condition. Place items of similar type in the same box. E.g. shoes in one box, coats in another, school supplies in another. The boxes should be in good condition and strong enough to make a trip half way around the world in a shipping container. Mark the boxes on the outside indicating what types of items are inside, such as coats, school supplies, etc.
If you would like a Soldier to send pictures or a note on how your items were distributed, you will need to write a letter and place it on the "outside" of the box in an envelope. Title the envelope "Dear Soldier, please open" In the letter give a short description of your project, thank them for their service and give them your email address and ask them to send you a few photos of them giving out your supplies. It would be nice if the letter you type had a picture of yourself in your Scout Uniform. Every Soldier loves the scouting program.

Here are the items you can choose from:

Pens & Pencils (kids frequently share one pen per family) sometimes only the child who has the pen gets to go to school.
Back Packs, for kids going to school
School supplies (any kind), paper, markers, scissors, tape, (everything)
School books that are current within the last 10 years, math, English, science etc., (no religious books). They love anything to do with science and math.
Shoes, any size, any type.
Coats of any thickness. The winters in Afghanistan are near identical to the winters in Utah.
Infant, children, and adult clothing of every type. Do not include clothing that has religious symbols. Do not send underclothing, except winter thermals.
Soccer balls, deflated, they can inflate them later. This is a BIG hit with the kids.
Hygiene kits, shampoo, soaps, wash cloths, wash towels, combs, brushes etc.
Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste
Blankets
Things for mothers, cooking pans, Tupperware, cooking utensils, (anything your mother would love to have in a kitchen). They do not have indoor kitchens; their kitchens are all outdoors (in Afghanistan) and heated by wood scrapes the kids collect.
Aspirin and Tylenol in un-opened containers. Do not spend a lot of energy collecting large quantities; just throw a few bottles in with the other items. They understand the use of both but cannot get access to them.

After you finish collecting your items and box them up by category with a general written description on the outside e.g. "coats". You will then need to make an appointment to meet with me in Orem, Utah to review your paperwork and project, enabling me to sign that your work was complete. I will give you the address in Salt Lake City where you can drop your items off for shipment. If you live far enough away that a trip to Orem would be difficult, we can make arrangements to review your project and progress by phone or internet. When the project has been completed, you will need to see me in person for the final sign off, or other methods that were arranged in advance.

Documentation: You will need to document everything you do such as journal entries. I will be asking you to provide a write-up and picture of yourself standing next to your collected items. Your write-up and photo may appear on our web site under "Eagle Scout Projects".

Good Luck and thanks for choosing the most awesome project you could support. At the same time, you will be assisting our Soldiers with their second mission... changing the hearts of the Afghan and Iraq people, through humanitarian service and personal' relationships.

Layne S. Pace
President