Chapter 3: School founder

The children sweat under the hot sun in Afghanistan, working to make ends meet for their family.

Wood saw another problem to solve.

“Kids as young as three live on the streets and they work to sell pieces of gum, and that’s how they survive,” Wood said.

Wood visited Afghanistan with the purpose of donating water to students in need. After getting to know the children, Wood saw a greater impact in building them a school.

With the financial support from investors, she rendered this a reality.

“The kids said, ‘Katy before you get us water, can we have a school?’ So that started our school, and now they have wells, a playground, and a bunch of different things,” she said. “My kids are all the way from 3 to 20 years old and they go to school. The school is the only place they get one meal a day.”

Beyond a place of warmth and comfort, she says these students are elated to learn new things at the school.

“These girls are so thirsty for knowledge,” Wood said.

Despite the support, their struggles perpetuate. Within ten years of the school being operated, the people have undergone many challenges.

“We’ve been through three bombings, and we’ve closed several times,” Wood said. “I’ve had several kids pass away due to being bombed.”

It’s a continuous effort for Wood to assist these unfortunate children, grounded in a commitment to empower their education.

“They just want to know everything, they’re always just so willing to listen, try hard and they just suck in information and they’re always so happy to show you what they know,” she said.