What does the rubble of a village school in Afghanistan have to do with an Asheville filmmaker? Meet Aimie Burns, a woman who believes in the power of education and the movies to promote stability in war-torn regions. After reading Greg Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea, which describes Mortenson’s ongoing humanitarian effort to build schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Burns started researching organizations interested in supporting startup schools in war-stricken countries. (She originally wanted to make a documentary about Mortenson himself, but he demurred, saying he didn’t want to endanger himself or his students.) She discovered the Green Village School in southern Afghanistan, contacted its founder Mohammad Khan Kharoti, and is now directing and producing the first in a trio of documentaries called Peace through Education.

While conditions in Afghanistan have made it difficult for Burns to travel there, she has interviewed Kharoti in person and communicates regularly with an Afghan film crew based in Khabul but working in Helmand Province, one of the world’s largest opium-producing regions. The project is partially funded by Rock Creek Productions, a video company with offices in the Washington, D.C. area and in Asheville, but Burns is also applying for grants and seeking donations.  

Burns was moved by the story of Kharoti’s childhood, first as a nomad and then as a farmer. Heeding his father’s deathbed wish, Kharoti enrolled in first grade at age 12. "The day he put his name on the list," Burns says, "was the best day of his life." The sentiment hits home for Burns. Growing up in Durban, South Africa, she saw firsthand how a lack of education affected children who weren’t able to go to school. Kharoti founded his school in 2001 with only 16 students. By 2008, the number of children attending regularly rose to 1,200, including 400 girls. But a group of men looted the school and bulldozed it inexplicably in 2008. Burns believes the children lost not only their means of an education, but also their hope for a better life.

Her documentary’s first screening is slated for March 31 of next year. Kharoti will introduce the film at a historic theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where an organization called PeacePals plans to make it a fundraising wine-and-cheese event. Burns plans to screen the film locally, and will send it to both film festivals and members of Congress. — Kristin Brace