I haven’t been able to write recently because I’m traveling a lot and can’t get to the Internet Cafe very often. 
Conditions are dangerous in Afghanistan—fighting has increased—but our school is safe. The fighting is elsewere, mostly on the highway, and not in Wonkhai village. Attackers come and go, as in a hit and run.
My workers resumed construction. Prices of food, fuel, and other material costs have risen, but we will be able to manage with an extra fund-raiser, maybe in December.

The school looks very pretty, the villagers are very happy and they said they will protect it with their blood. So far there is no problem there. Security is fine in Wonkhai. I will be going again on Tuesday to see how did it progress. Love to all. 

The most unlikely construction dilemma has happened: the workers are working so quickly that they are outpacing our fund-raising expectations. To accomodate this, the workers have stopped construction for a few weeks.

They construction workers also told me some good news, which is that the villagers are sooooo excited about this project. Girls come up to them and ask: when will it will be finished? When can they use the school?

Their excitement is so encouraging.

I just got off the phone with my contractor, who said his workers had finished preparing the foundation and were about to start building the first floor. I have asked them to email me some pictures but there is no Internet in Wardak and the phone does not work very well either. So, they must go to Kabul to get to the Internet. Very few people have access to or knowledge about scanning photos, but they will send me some as soon as possible. The contractors are the same people that I have worked with for the past 6-7 years. Very honest decent and people with integrity. They have helped me over the years and they tell me that they will lay their life for me, they will protect me with their blood. I have full confidence and respect in their work.
Remember work in Afghanistan is mostly done by a hand shake. If you take advantage of someone, the whole village and town is against you. You, your family, and your relatives will live in shame.
This is why I know who to deal with and how to deal with.

When I was in Wardak, I visited the girls elementary school that Khris Nedam built several years ago. The girls were so eager to learn that even some of the students who had already graduated had come back to school this year to repeat the same class.
They were begging me to build a secondary school for them to continue their education. They were saying there is nothing else for them in their village. If they stay home, they will be married off. So they would rather repeat the same class. But, they insisted, you can only repeat a class once, so they worry about next year.
Mr. Saraj Wardak to has donated some of his land to Circle of Women, with which I will build the school these girls are asking for. While I was there, I negotiated with contractors, obtained building permits, and took care of other logistics. The site was cleared and I saw this part of the work. I could not stay for the breaking of the ground, which is scheduled for April 13.