Questions for Budd MacKenzie

After I wrote the post The Women of Afghanistan, I realized I had many questions. Budd MacKenzie is the founder of Trust in Education, which is an organization that I have mentioned numerous times, and you are probably sick of hearing about. I decided that he was the best person to answer my questions. Last Tuesday Budd spoke at the Mt. Diablo Peace Center about the conditions of women in Afghanistan. Sadly, I wasn't able to go but I gave my list of questions to a friend (who has a super awesome blog at http://www.hannahsprojectrainbow.com/) who went and asked Budd the questions. Here are the answers.

Why do you think education is so important?

Budd: Education is so important because it gives people the skills that they can use to lift themselves out of poverty.

What do most families think about child marriage?

Budd: Many households don't care about the girls. They want to raise money for their son's marriage, and unload their daughters.

Do most people like your help?

Budd: Totally! When you are in survival mode, you will do anything to stay alive. Anything.      

 Do you think Afghanistan will ever fully recover from its past?

Budd: Yes, but it will take a long time. Piece by piece they are fixing it up, but Trust in Educations piece is getting bigger and bigger.

What can we do to help?

Budd: Have the U.S. change their foreign policy to make gender equality very important and stop money flow to countries that don't support gender equality.