Bush calls for school supplies for Afghan kids

President Bush helps students pack school supplies for shipment to Afghanistan during his visit to a Virginia school.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- President and Mrs. Bush visited an Alexandria elementary school Wednesday to thank the students for raising money for Afghan children and to promote two programs to help schoolchildren in the war-torn country.

Bush said children at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School raised $2,500 by reading books.

"So you accomplish two things. One, you helped somebody in Afghanistan who needs your help. And secondly, you practiced reading, which is one of the most important things you can do," Bush said.

He told the children the money would be used to buy school supplies that will be sent to Afghanistan, where school is scheduled to begin this week.

Bush said it would be the first time that many Afghan girls are allowed to go to school.

"That's hard for us to believe isn't it?" Bush said. "Heck, most of you after summer dread going back to school -- not all of you, some of you. But there are boys and girls, girls in Afghanistan who dream about getting to go at all."

Bush said the Red Cross had put together 1,000 school supply chests containing enough notebooks, crayons, pencils, playground equipment and other supplies for a classroom.

President Bush called on American children to assemble school supplies for 2,000 Afghan students, who are heading back to school this week.

He asked Americans to pitch in and help put together 2,000 more.

"I'm asked all the time, 'What can I do to help in the war against terror?' You can help by helping build one of the school chests."

He said giving Afghan children an education would also give them hope, and make the world more peaceful.

First lady Laura Bush announced another program that gives Afghan women jobs sewing uniforms that will be given to Afghan school children.

She said providing the uniforms lifts a financial burden off of Afghan families and encourages them to send their children to school.

The program also helps Afghan women provide for their families, something that was not allowed under the Taliban.

"These women are contributing to the reorganization of Afghan schools that are rebuilding, literally from the ground up," she said. "Every stitch contributes to the great patchwork of support and stabilization for the people of Afghanistan.

She said a number of companies, have provided more than 500,000 yards of fabric, as well as manual sewing machines, shoes, jackets, blankets and other things the school children will need.

The goal is for Afghan seamstresses to make uniforms for 3 million children.