Commy Jahanbein came to the U.S. from Iran. He had no money and no formal education. He started washing dishes, knowing he had a will to succeed and serve.
Starting in 2007, thanks to patrons at his U Street bar the Saloon, he will start building his 23rd school, this time in Cameroon, which is in Central Africa.
His bar, like himself, is unconventional. Inside, instead of bar music, you hear the classical notes of Vivaldi. Plastered on the walls, are the 22 schools he's help built since 2007.
Commy says he uses money from his international beer selection and food, along with bricks, to pay for the schools all over the world.
Schools and clinics have been built in New Guinea, Pittsburgh, and Laos just to name a few. Patrons spend $150 to $200 dollars to get their names painted on bricks on the inside and outside of the bar.
Patrons also suggest where the schools should be built. Commy says instead of charity, he wants parents and child to be involved in the building process and feel dignity.
"You can make a difference with 25 cents. It depends on who you give it to," said Commy.
"That's a beautiful thing," said a passerby when she realized what the painted names on the Saloon stood for.
Commy says each school typical costs anywhere from 30 to 75 thousand dollars to build.
He also has another program call Living Above the Dirt, which helps families get concrete floors to sleep on.
He started this after he noticed the children coming to his schools were filthy from sleeping on the ground.
