Marines talk to children receiving school supplies at the Primary School in Now Zad, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Jason Brezler.

Students from the Columbia SIPA Veterans Association (CVSA), at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, are holding the second annual School Supply Drive for children in Afghanistan hoping to crush last year’s bounty that yielded over 600 pounds of paper, notebooks, crayons and other school supplies.

A rotating team has been on guard and taking donations on the 4th floor of SIPA building since Nov. 8, and will be there until Nov. 24.

Jay Ross, an Army captain and SIPA graduate student, is the co-founder of the drive, which sponsors, a small farming village in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. “This town was pretty dilapidated because of the Taliban,” said Ross. Ross and fellow SIPA student, Rudy Rickner, had a Marine Civil Affairs officer as a contact on the ground in Afghanistan, who ensured that the mission was carried out, and the donations were delivered to the school.

Now Zad, once home to 30,000 people, had been deserted for nearly four years after the Taliban seized control of the village in 2005. Last December, 1,000 Marines and Afghan security forces launched an operation to regain control from the Taliban. Operation “Cobra’s Anger” was a success, allowing many of the villagers to return home and rekindle a sense of normalcy.

Those efforts to rid the Taliban have made it possible to open a school in Now Zad, however, with little money or support, the children lacked the proper supplies to equip them for the school year. That’s when SIPA students stepped up and lent a hand, kicking off an annual school supply drive, something they hope to maintain as long as there’s a need for the program.

“Last year we had everything from binders to pencils, books, paper. We ended up donating 600-pounds of supplies,” said Ross, also adding that they took in around $500 in cash donations, which they used to buy more supplies for the children at stores in New York. “This year we’re expecting even more. We’ve already been doing really well and we’ve collected a few hundred dollars in cash, too.” Ross added that several students from the school of General Studies are volunteering at the donation table this year, partly because of all the donations, and to extend the collection times.

Amber Griffiths, Veterans Benefits Counselor at Columbia University, Griffiths is also collecting donations in her office at Columbia’s Student Services.” From what I have seen, the veteran student population has a unique desire to help and make a difference in the world; precisely the reason they are willing to sacrifice so much,” she said. She says she is thrilled to be a part of the drive.

“Education, in my mind, is the single most valuable component to positive change within a community. It makes the difference,” said Griffiths, “I understand we are not solving the world’s problem with a school supplies drive, but I think if we have an opportunity to help a child, an opportunity which requires very little effort on our behalf by the way, how can we not?” she said.

Roughly 40 veterans are enrolled at the School of International and Public Affairs, and over 300 are in various schools across the university – over 50 at the School of General Studies alone. Many are drawn by the increased GI Bill benefits, which pay a generous portion of tuition and living expenses, as well as the Yellow Ribbon Program, where participating universities – including Columbia – match funds provided by the government.

Jay Ross graduates in the spring of 2011, and plans to move to return to Seattle to be with his fiancée. Ross said he hoped that incoming SIPA students will continue to provide supplies to children in Afghanistan, or develop future, need-based programs around the world.