Sesame Street comes to Kabul

A couple of great photos of Sesame Street coming to Kabul, courtesy of TOLO TV, the Afghan Ministry of Education, and the U.S. Embassy. Sesame Street's messages of love of learning and tolerance are as sorely needed in Afghanistan as in any of the other countries that broadcast their own versions of the show. And the additional push of Sesame Street to the very few classroom hours in the typical Afghan public school can't hurt. One wonders, though, how widely access to television is, especially in the areas where school attendance is lowest.

When life gives you pomegranates...

This video from USAID in Afghanistan shows a USDA employee working with pomegranate farmers to maximize the yield from their crops. I'm happy to see Embassy folks working directly on projects in the field, interacting directly with Afghans and, one hopes, helping them improve their lives.

I've always been impressed with USDA folks overseas. They add personal warmth to professional capabilities that other Embassy staff could learn from. Even in our training course, they really stood out.

In the context of genuinely nice people who contribute incredibly to Afghanistan's progress, I should also mention my former colleague Laura, the staff archeologist and cultural heritage manager for the Embassy. You can read about her work in an article in her hometown paper here.