FAIRFAX, Va. -- As fans of "The Kite Runner" know, kite-flying has been a favorite pastime in Afghanistan for centuries, and the love that Afghans have for kites is equaled by their skill at making and flying them. But a new project is showing that Afghan kites can be more than sport or entertainment. The Peace Kites initiative is using them to raise the prospects of thousands of needy Afghan children. Peace Kites was started by Atta Amin, a Fairfax, Va., businessman who was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and has returned often to his native country. Amin has been an active volunteer with Aschiana (www.aschiana.com, www.aschiana-foundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides services, support and programs to Afghan street-working children and their families (although many of these children have lost their families), as well as to internally displaced children. Moved by the plight of the children he saw working in the streets of Kabul to eke out a living, Amin, 49, arranged for the students at Aschiana's vocational school to make thousands of beautiful kites for sale in the U.S. Amin brought the kites here with the help of the transport company DHL, which provided free shipping and storage. Handmade out of wood and paper, these unique, colorful Afghan kites can be purchased online by following the link at the bottom of either www.aschiana.com or www.aschiana-foundation.org. Each kite bears a message of peace in Pashto or Dari, the country's two main languages, as well as a stamp of authenticity from Aschiana. An English translation of the message is also included. All money from the sales goes to Aschiana. Aschiana, which means "nest" in Dari, operates six centers across Kabul, servicing close to 3,000 children, and also operates an outreach program for nearly 1,000 internally displaced children.   "The knowledge that so many children in Afghanistan face a bleak future motivated me to do something about it," said Amin. "The Peace Kites project is a way for us to make a difference in the lives of these children, many of whom have lost their parents and have no family. It makes me so happy to see them smiling."