Tremendous News! Thanks for your continued support!

August 13, 2010

We have tremendous news to share with you!

We are thrilled to let you know that this week the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Danish International Development Agency are following your lead and contributing substantially to the first phase of Brewing Tea in a Kettle of War (BTKW).

In addition, your generous outpouring of support raised an incredible $17,000 dollars that our challenge donor has kindly agreed to match.

We are very grateful to you and our international funders. With this support, Michael will return to Afghanistan in September to train Afghan filmmakers and begin production.

Since the inception of Community Supported Film last December, your support has allowed Michael to travel to Afghanistan; establish a partnership with The Killid Group – Afghanistan’s largest community media organization; travel to Washington to speak with government officials about effective aid in Afghanistan; and to meet the Afghan journalists, who will now become the heart and soul of this project. Equally important, your support enabled us to spend the necessary time and energy presenting this project to institutional funders such as the Swiss and Danish development agencies in Afghanistan and the United States.

When Michael returns to the US in November we would like to share our work with you, your friends and colleagues. Please let us know if you can organize a presentation in your community to raise awareness and additional funds for BTKW. This could be a gathering of 10 people or 100 people, in a church basement, a classroom or in the living room – whatever works for you. At these events, we will share our understanding and experiences of economic development from the perspective of Afghan villagers. And, we will be encouraging our government officials to pursue policies that prioritize sustainable security and development that is owned and implemented by the affected people – whether they be in Afghanistan today or Somalia tomorrow.

In the months ahead, we will be working hard to raise awareness about alternative approaches to creating peace and stability in this troubled region. In this endeavor, your continued generosity is a real blessing.

Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Sign up to receive project updates by adding your email address to the subscribe section in the right column of this web page.

Five Dark Years – the Fall of Humanity and the Silencing of a Generation

Aug 15, 2026

Five years have passed since the fall of Afghanistan—a period that, for millions of people, has meant far more than lost years. It has been five years of humiliation, deprivation, fear, silence, and the gradual erosion of hope and human dignity.

Five years ago, Afghanistan fell into the hands of a group that, instead of building a future, closed the doors of life on its people. During these five years, the Taliban have not moved toward reform or change. On the contrary, with each passing day, restrictions have expanded and life has become increasingly difficult for millions of Afghans. The rights to education, work, freedom of movement, social participation, and many of the most basic freedoms of human beings—particularly women and girls—have been taken away.