The campaign of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has raised record amounts of money, much of it from small contributions by ordinary people.
Even children in Peshawar, in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, are trying to throw in their two cents -- or more precisely, their 25,000 rupees (or about $265).
At a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club this week, Ayesha, a little girl dressed in black, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that children in the region need pens and books, not missiles and rockets, and are asking Obama to stop U.S. attacks on militants based in the tribal areas if he is elected on November 4.
The children said they wish to live and attend school just like American kids do, and believe Obama will be able to help them achieve their wishes.
Omar Shawkat, an eighth-grader from Peshawar, said the campaign contribution came directly from the students' own pocket money. The money has reportedly been mailed to the Obama campaign, along with an invitation to visit Pakistan.
Unfortunately, a 1966 U.S. law bans campaign contributions from foreign nationals, so the fate of the money is unknown.
-- Najib Amir