Aimal Zabitullah

Operation Dreamseed’s mission is to further education in underdeveloped countries. We have sent school supplies and black boards; we have helped with the building of a school and the funding of the first science lab in a Kandahar High School. Now we are approaching our goal from yet another direction.

In 2009 Gerlinde Gautrey, one of our members of the board, read in her company’s internal newsletter that a colleague from a Nevada office had been deployed with the National Guard to Afghanistan. Gerlinde contacted him to find out how her office could help. 500 bags of school supplies and assorted other goodies were collected and mailed to Kurt Neddenriep. When Lt Colonel Neddenriep returned to his home in Nevada, he was kind enough to answer many of our questions about his observations during his tour of duty in AFG. He also mentioned that he had sponsored his translator who would be starting at the University of Nevada – Reno in September 2010.

Lt Colonel Neddenriep met Aimal Zabitullah who worked as a linguist and cultural advisor for the US Army when Aimal assisted him with an impromptu conversation with local children during a roadside stop. A few months later, Aimal was hired to work with Lt Col Needenriep’s team and the two spend many hours together. Aimal had finished high school in Afghanistan and was accepted into an Engineering Program at the University. But Aimal, whose father passed away when he was 6 months old, is the only breadwinner in his family. So financially it was not possible for him to go to the University and he applied for a job with the US Forces instead. As Kurt Neddenriep got to know Aimal better and saw what potential the young man had, he encouraged him to apply to an American University. Aimal’s good grades and his English language skills made it possible for him to be accepted at UNR. Kurt Neddenriep, his family and friends have raised the money needed to get Aimal started at UNR. They also send money to Aimal’s family until he is finished with college and can support them again. When the Board of Directors of Operation Dreamseed heard about Aimal, we decided that it would be in keeping with our mission to support Aimal Zabitullah’s education with the expectation that he will return to Afghanistan and become a link between our two countries. We hope he will do his part to help with the rebuilding of Afghanistan and will encourage many other young Afghans to excel in their education.

ODS will pay part of Aimal’s tuition for the spring 2011 semester and hopes to be able to continue with this grant until Aimal graduates. We are excited to follow his journey and his discovery of life in the United States.