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Current news 2011:
The Glenelg Country School, both the Middle School and the Lower School, are actively raising funds to help survivors in the Laghman Province of Afghanistan through the CHAMPS International Afghanistan project. 

news 2010:
Glenelg Country Day School is running two campaigns for survivors in Afghanistan and has been talking to both High Schools in Afghanistan. Shelby Patrick is running a campaign in the upper school and Ms. Linar Etemadi is running a campaign in the middle school.

 

Distance Learning : by Jennifer Choi

 

To Fly a Kite : by Taylor Field

 

Student Leader Shelby Patrick Returns! CHAMPS student leader Shelby Patrick, CHAMPS Maryland-Glenelg Country Day School campaign, traveled to the Balkans as part of an MLI donor delegation. Over an 8 day period Shelby met the American Ambassador to Bosnia, the President of Bosnia, young landmine survivors, and traveled to Konjic to the Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) where 13 of the 17 CHAMPS dogs have been trained. Shelby, accompanied by her mother Susan Patrick, visited Bosnia and Slovenia learning more about mine action, helping landmine survivors, and saw the fruit of her labors on this important trip. Her trip highlights are in the link below...

My Trip to Bosnia : by Shelby Patrick

 

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stories

  Noor
Noor is a lovely 20 year old woman who lives in the Laghman Province of Afghanistan.  When Noor was 16-years old she lost her left leg to a landmine close to her parental home.  Today she has a new leg because of the CHAMPS International Afghanistan project.  Now, with two small children (a son 9-months and a daughter who is 4-years old) she can walk with ease to do household chores, and plays and walks with her children more comfortably.   
Noor’s husband is a poor man who uses his cart to transport items for others to provide for his family.  According to Akmal Ghafori, CHAMPS Manager for Afghanistan, there is no way this family would have ever been able to afford a prosthetic for Noor. 
“You have to say thank you to Kimberly and the children, I am thank full from your help”.  These simple words of appreciation come from a woman whose life is changed and is now easier because of the school children of the Glenelg Country School, Ellicott City, Maryland.
On Friday, June 26, 2009, Akmal took Noor to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Hospital in Jalalabad  for her final appointment to be fitted with her new prosthetic.  CHAMPS Director, Kimberly McCasland, asked Akmal how it felt when he saw Noor walking with her new leg.  His response:  “Too happy….that never was in my life before.   Thank you very much for that you prepare the helping way.  I am so happy that you chose me for this enjoyable job.”  (IM with Kimberly 6/29/09)

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  Hasibullah

On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, Akmal will be taking 20-year old Hasibullah for his final fitting for a new prosthetic leg. We know that two years ago, while traveling from his home on the road from Laghman to Kabul, Hasibullah’s vehicle hit a landmine. Now, for the first time in two years, he will walk again, because of the caring children of the CHAMPS International Afghanistan project! More to follow soon!

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CHAMPS International has partnered with Help The Afghan Children (HTAC) to raise landmine awareness and aid young landmine survivors throughout Afghanistan. The CHAMPS International teacher, Ms. Linar Etemadi, for Glenelg Country School has been partnered with Mr. Akmal Ghafori, the CHAMPS International Manager for the HTAC Roshan High School in the Laghman Province.

The students of the Glenelg Country School raised landmine awareness in their school and their community, and through their “Kite Day” fundraiser were able to provide prosthetics, wheelchairs, special walking canes and other much needed medical equipment to the landmine survivors of the Laghman Province.

The CHAMPS International team at the Roshan High School has actively taught Mine Risk Education (MRE) in their school and communities. Through this partnership the students distributed medical equipment, helped and befriended the 11 landmine survivors in their school and are creating positive change in their country.

With the help of the CHAMPS International teachers from both schools the students have been able to video conference via the internet and have formed a strong partnership and relationship. The students talk about things like what life is like in their country and what they are doing to change lives around the world.

 

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Upcoming Donor trip to Bosnia and Slovenia

It’s almost time for the CHAMPS/MLI Annual Donor Trip to Bosnia and Slovenia on September 12, 2009. Each year a student leader from the previous school year’s campaigns is selected to accompany the team on their trip. This year’s student leader is Shelby Patrick from The Glenelg Country Day School in Ellicott City, Maryland. Shelby brought CHAMPS to her school and worked very hard to support CHAMPS International-Afghanistan earlier this spring helping young landmine survivors in Afghanistan. Here is a list of the exciting things Shelby will be doing on her trip: * Meet and be congratulated by the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina for her work with CHAMPS and CHAMPS International * Meet the American Ambassador to Bosnia. * See Mine Detection Dogs (MDD’s) working in a minefield in Bosnia and meet villagers whose village was cleared by MDD’s and demining teams last year. * Visit the Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) in Konjic, Bosnia. 80% of the CHAMPS dogs have been trained at this facility that was funded by the US Department of State and trained by Global Training Academy of Somerset, Texas. * Visit Pro-Vita, a Bosnian NGO (Non-Government Organization) that has many MLI and CHAMPS dogs who are working to clear Bosnia of landmines. * Meet young landmine survivors helped by CHAMPS International – Bosnia. * Visit a Landmine Victim’s Ward at a rehabilitation hospital in Slovenia and MUCH MUCH MORE!!! Thank you Shelby and The Glenelg Country Day School for all of your hard work!