People ask me why I chose to work with Afghanistan, a country synonymous of war, struggle and cultural tensions. I wrote several articles and blogs about it. Many factors are involved, philanthropy, women empowerment, business, education, social media, sports, technology, etc. Afghanistan is a country with 34 million people and each person is different. Each person has their history and future. Each person must be seen individually and is associated to different opportunities. This is why we can say there are millions of reasons why we got involved with Afghanistan and with it, millions of opportunities.

 

 

I have met very interesting and inspirational people. One has been Captain Edward Zellem. Captain Zellem is a very interesting man. He joined the NAVY with the intention to graduate top of his class and he did. Later on, he decided to learn Dari and he became ISAF's senior representative to the Government of Afghanistan's National Security Council staff. He's a humble and extremely intelligent and successful man. From what I learn by working and talking to Captain Edward Zellem, there are three factors that make him a very interesting and special person:

• critical thinking
• curiosity
• capacity to learn

 

 

 

The best compliment I got about our work with Afghanistan was this statement from Captain Edward Zellem:

"I also saw that Francesco had a proven passion for helping Afghanistan, but it was much more than just “glamorous conversation.” There were tangible results behind the big ideas."

Reading his latest article on the Annex Press confirmed my thoughts about him and his work. It also details aspects of his nature and vision that can't be replicated by others:

“Maahee-ra har waqt az aab biggeree, taaza ast.” or “When you take a fish from water, it is always fresh.”

ماهی را هروقت از آب بگیری ، تازه است

Three ways to write, two languages, one universal message.

In my opinion, Captain Edward Zellem has identified the Proverbs as the master key and solution to a social and cultural dilemma. It's an algorithm that allows people to communicate peacefully and exchange ideas in perfect harmony and respect of thousands of years of experience and traditions.

Edward Zellem's contribution to the design and development of the Wisdom Curriculum for the Examer Educational Software is extremely important. It allows young women and men to have access to the cultural and social solution. It opens their eyes about the wisdom of the past and the opportunities of the future. It reinforces the self-esteem and appreciation for the culture and history of their own country.

 

Today's great opportunity is to combine Proverbs and Wisdom with Social and Digital Media. It allows us to reach millions of people, share millions of ideas, create millions of solutions. It's a very fertile environment where Proverbs and Wisdom can flourish without limits, an environment where we can quantify growth, success and opportunities.