Michelle Malkin has an impressive

Michelle Malkin has an impressive and moving story.

A group of 9 National Geographic staffers are walking 200 miles in 10 days with only water and one teabag each--no food. They are camping out during the day, walking at night to avoid the heat. Their object is to raise $10000 each for the Afghan Girls Fund, a charity established in 2002 by the National Geographic Society after photographer Steve McCurry went back to Afghanistan to try and find the green-eyed girl in his famous photo years earlier. The Afghan Girls Fund is building schools and training centers in Afghanistan. This fundraising walk is not sponsored by the National Geographic Society, but all the walkers are employees, and the walk will wind up Thursday around 4pm at National Geographic hq on 17th and M Sts [in Washington DC].

The trek is being blogged here. A progress map is here.

From the Washington Times:

If all goes well, the 10 hikers will raise $50,000 for the Afghan Women's Fund. The fund was established by the National Geographic Society in 2002 after U.S. military and allied forces expelled the Taliban from the country. Since then, nearly $1,000,000 has been raised in Afghanistan to help girls and women seek an education.

"This is an extreme adventure for people in an extreme situation," said Weins. "We wanted to raise money, but do it in a way that would call attention to an issue that has been forgotten a little bit."

Literacy rates among women in Afghanistan remain low. Even though the Taliban is gone from power, Weins said most girls still do not attend school regularly. "I have a 13-year-old daughter who loves to read--I can't imagine what it would be like if she couldn't go to school," he said.

You can donate here.

Cross-posted from The Anchoress