Air Force team adopts local school Published April 9, 2003 By Army Spc. Debralee P. Crankshaw 11th Public Affairs Detachment OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- It was the unimaginable plight of children in Bagram, Afghanistan, that spawned the latest in a long line of humanitarian visits to local villages, according to an Air Force captain.Capt. Michael Friebel, a critical care nurse deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, his family and the Shino family from Sandy, Utah, donated approximately $1,000 of school supplies for the children.Additionally, Najla Farzana, an interpreter who teaches at the boys' school, had donations sent from her children's school in Freemont, Calif.The supplies were delivered to the Bagram Air Base Boys School and the Bagram Air Base Girls School on April 5."I had the opportunity to volunteer at the combat support hospital intensive care unit here. It was there that I first saw the plight of the local children, many of them knowing all too well the hardships that most of us can never imagine," said Friebel in an e-mail message. "You also can't help but feel for the children pushing their arms through the ribbon wire attempting to sell things to passing soldiers. You wish that they were in school or playing soccer instead of having to scrape out an existence."The base newspaper ran an article on military members helping to build a school, which sparked Friebel's interest."My first impulse was to see how they were doing and to see if there was anything that I could do to help," he said.Friebel discovered a shortage of school supplies that meant anything donated would help.All of the funds were donated by his family and the Shino family. Madison Shino and her third-grade class of Granite Elementary School in Sandy gathered donations for the project, according to Friebel.Approximately 3,300 students attend the boys' school, ranging in age from 7 to 32. There are about 800 girls who attend the girls' school, but they only attend until eighth grade, because the men are not comfortable teaching older girls, according to officials. In another building, 200 kindergartners attend school.Friebel also got help through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service; the Bagram AAFES manager helped deliver the supplies, said Friebel.Friebel asked what the school needed and was given a list. Of this list, he purchased a variety of supplies, and the California school officials donated books, clothes and other school supplies. The books included picture books, which Farzana thinks are very useful for these children."Pictures weren't allowed during the Taliban, so I'll teach them about lions and tigers and things like that, and they will ask me what one looks like," she said. "They don't know because they have never seen one, not even a picture."Friebel left Bagram before the supplies could be delivered; however, Farzana and Maria Schizas-Price, AAFES manager, brought the supplies to the school."I hope the children that don't attend school will see all this 'cool stuff' coming in and want to come to school and learn," Farzana added.Schizas-Price was excited to see the children when the supplies were donated."I love to see the children. I just wanted a chance to see their faces -- their happy faces," she said.Despite not being there, Friebel said he hopes to continue his association with the school. Upon returning home to San Antonio, he said, he plans to start another adopt-a-school program."There is a saying in Afghanistan, 'Each drop will turn into a river,' and I think that is what's happening," Farzana said.