Wow. You made my day. Big time — Ted Achilles

Dear friends, one and all,

Wow. you made my day. Big time. For this I thank you not just for today but also for the memories that will be with me for years to come.

SOLA helps those who help themselves.

You are the beneficiaries of these simple postulates. Remember? --- You did it for yourselves and for each other — the 90% factor and the 10% factor? Well, thanks for making that easy and fun for the rest of us just by being who you are.

So, my very dear Afghan friends — stick with it. You have a growing fan club of Americans who appreciate you and understand you. Help yourselves, the mark of your strength is how quickly you can pick yourselves up after falling down, after a defeat.

Work hard, pray, persist, take care, be well, have fun. You have earned the respect of your many American friends by helping yourselves so beautifully, boldly and positively. Keep at it — your supportive friends of all stripes will grow in number and depth.

I am honored to know you.

Life is good.

Insha Allaha, we will have many more of these good days together.

Thank you, thank you very much. BT

*********************************************

Ted Achilles,
SOLA -School of Leadership, Afghanistan
Karte-Seh, District 6, Kabul
tedachilles@sola-afghanistan.org

Praise well deserved — Terry D.

Dear brother Ted — I hope you read these Birthday greetings and weep, streams of tears, full of joy and pride in what you have wrought. You deserve every word of praise you find on the new SOLA blog, and much more. In addition to these beautiful words we have people contributing cash to SOLA in honor of your birthday. Maybe we can use it to fix those bombed out windows.

Happy Birthday, Kimosabe,

from your faithful sidekick and admirer, Terry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxIuIxqo2So

My source of inspiration — Faezeh M.P.

Mr. Ted,

You are my source of inspiration. We spent a short time together, but your optimism, your passion and your hunger to help others left a big footprint on my life. I always wish when I reach your age—if it happens at all—I can stay as committed as you are. SOLA is a big hope for many Afghan students, thank you for keeping them hopeful.

Faezeh M.P.

To Ted, the alchemist — Rian S.

.....Afghan girl
...... + Mr. Ted
= educational
...possibilities
........ ⇢ hope
....... .......... ⇢ courage
...... ..... ................ ⇢ resolve
....... ..... ....... .................. ⇢ opportunity
..... ...... ..... ...... .......................... ⇢.change !

A great honor, from Husnia A.

Dearest Mr. Ted,
In the three years that I have worked with you, it the first time that you have been away from your Afghan family. You are really missed this Christmas and on your birthday.

You are one of the most wonderful people of this planet that I know and it is a great honor for me to know you. All this time your support, kindness and encouragement always have helped me gain the level of confidence, experience and, most importantly, how to better understand the values of life in an outstanding way.

I appreciate and admire you for all what you have done for Afghans and I wish you the happiest birthday ever. May all your wishes come true and may this day continue to come to your life for years and years.

Best wishes,
Husnia A.
SOLA Afghanistan

You are very special, from Zarlasht W.

Dear Baba Ted,

Please always remember that YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL TO ME. Remember that you are known not only by your Afghan students who are part of the SOLA family. You are respected by each of our family members. There are many Afghan fathers, Afghan mothers, brothers and sisters who are admiring your hard work and who are praying for your success. You own the hearts of many Afghans, and one of them is my family.

May this year bring with it all success and fulfillment your heart's desires,
Happy Birthday, Baba Ted!

Your daughter, Zarlasht
SOLA Afghanistan

Then, there is Ted — Bob M.

We live in difficult times… too much war, violence, greed, and selfishness. It would be easy to get disheartened, but then, there is Ted Achilles. He is a reminder that our species has not entirely lost touch with the soul blessed with courageous kindness and compassion.

How could we lose heart when Ted is there to remind us that it is in the darkest times that light shines most brightly?

We owe a lot to you Ted not only for the great things you have done, but for showing us what is possible. The world is safer, kinder, and more peaceful because of you.

With great gratitude, I wish you an extraordinarily Happy Birthday, dear Mr. Ted.

Bob McNulty
---
Robert E. McNulty, Ph. D.
Executive Director
Applied Ethics, Inc., home of Pax Populi
http://appliedethics.org/
http://www.paxpopuli.org/
Please "Like" Pax Populi at www.Facebook.com/paxpopuli

My role model, from Zainab Y.

A birthday wish for my role model, Ted, from Zainab

Wish you the happiest birthday. Wish you a long, safe and happy life.

Thank you for all your hard work providing education for Afghan girls, finding their ways to success and peace. It really means a lot to me. You are changing Afghanistan by training the future leaders of Afghanistan through education.

You have been more like a Sun which shines and gives love and warmth to every single person equally. I appreciate all your love, your valuing education and sharing with us. Your inner goodness and beauty twinkle and give everyone joy.

May you sparkle forever and see your students glitter. Live long and take care,

Zainab Y.

Very lucky to know you — Simin Q.

Ted, a man in his seventies who is managing a school and dorm in Kabul, Afghanistan, in his retirement

Ted is a man who believes in equality, justice and human abilities. He believes in the power of education. He believes crises in a nation are due to lack of education. He is motivating and enlightening, and people to people. He is working with Afghan women to motivate them in their lives and education. By his mission, he is informing the American nation how to understand and picture the hardships Afghan women suffer.

He is trying with all of his efforts to change Afghan men’s attitude toward Afghan women by educating Afghan women. He believes Afghan women are conquerors and all have inner strength. He helps women who are drowning in dilemmas. He also helps women who have fallen to the ground more than a thousand times along their path to success and goals. He is there to offer moral support by saying, “Stand up, you can make it.”

In a war-torn country where ignorance has a strong predominance and extremists are using religion and culture as people’s weakness, he is facing a lot of challenges. With his determination, and his total belief in women’s education, he copes with confidence; he is the Champion for all of us.

I would like to share one of my personal experiences with Ted. One day a very angry man came to see Ted, yelling about a legal wrong that had been done him. Ted tried to reason with the man to settle the situation. As soon as the man left, instead of being upset, He used the situation as a teaching opportunity, starting a conversation with us about women’s diplomacy and business. I was very amazed with his strength and perseverance.

I hope the international community and his fellow Americans do not let him struggle all by himself. I hope they realize through him how important the role of education is in Afghan women’s lives. He has put his philanthropic effort into beginning a change for Afghan women.

Ted, I admire you as an American champion, I really believe in your mission and I believe in SOLA, School of Leadership, Afghanistan.

Happy Birthday, Ted. I consider myself very lucky to know you and your mission.

Simin Q.

SOLA Afghanistan