The connection between Carteret County and a group of Afghan women who visited Emerald Isle on semester break didn't end when they headed back to school.
A special care package was sent out recently to each of the 46 women, a project of Carteret County resident Ginger Garner.
The Daily News of Jacksonville reported that Garner, an alternative physical therapist and founder of Professional Yoga Therapy Studies, gave a private yoga class for the women while they were in Emerald Isle and quickly found she wanted to do more for The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women.
"They held a dinner for everyone, and when I left, I had a feeling it would not be the last time I saw them," Garner said.
The IEAW secures four-year scholarships at colleges and universities in the United States for women from Afghanistan. The women come here and get an undergraduate degree and better their lives. There are currently 46 participants studying at 20 different colleges and universities.
Under Taliban rule, education for women was forbidden in Afghanistan. With the liberation of their country, Afghan women are returning to schools in their towns and cities, but the education system is still recovering from years of war and destruction.
Through IEAW, Afghan women have come to the U.S. with great ambition to learn, but also face challenges -- from cultural differences to health issues.
As someone in the health-care field, Garner was particularly interested in helping with the latter when she learned that many of the Afghan women suffer from vitamin and nutritional deficiencies.
She launched "Project Support Afghan Women's Health" and turned to the makers of a product she trusted for help.
Shortly after receiving a proposal from Garner, New Chapter, which includes whole-food probiotic nutrients among its products, agreed to supply a year's worth of vitamins for the women of IEAW. It's a donation worth more than $11,000.
The first bottles of vitamins were shipped out to the women of IEAW recently after Garner got together with a group of volunteers at the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Building to stuff and label packages.
"This has the potential to make a big difference in all the girls' lives," said IEAW Coordinator Alicia Baucom of Cape Carteret.
Baucom has conducted her duties as coordinator from her home office for the past 18 months.
Like IEAW founder Paula Nirschel of Rhode Island, Baucom wasn't content being a bystander.
After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, she saw the oppression women of Afghanistan faced and was moved to help. She initially searched for a volunteer opportunity that would take her to Afghanistan but found that she would need a professional degree to be of best service.
That motivated her to return to school, and in 2005 she graduated from Meredith College with a bachelor's degree in social work.
Then it was through her continuing studies at Meredith that she became involved with the IEAW as a volunteer before being named its coordinator.
As coordinator, Baucom was recently able to introduce the women participating in the program to her home community.
The IEAW participants come together each academic year for an intersession during their winter break. While they have traditionally visited Washington, DC, this year they traveled to Emerald Isle and visited coastal North Carolina.
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