First lady Laura Bush is in Afghanistan highlighting signs of rebirth in the war-worn nation.

The trip to Afghanistan comes ahead of a donors’ conference Thursday in Paris, where the U.S. hopes billions of dollars of additional international aid will be pledged to help the embattled nation.

Mrs. Bush is going to Bamiyan (BAH-mee-yahn) Province, where two colossal statues of Buddha, which were carved into sandstone cliffs centuries ago, were demolished by the ruling Taliban regime in March 2001.

She’s visiting a police training academy and a learning center. The first lady also is meeting with President Hamid Karzai and visiting U.S. troops.