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Help the Afghan Children Archives
Articles
• History of Educational System in Afghanistan
• Relief Work in Difficult Times
• Children and Youth
• The Formation of a Contemporary Afghanistan
• The Kindergarten Curriculum development
Children and Youth:
By Omar Qargha, HTAC Assistant Director
The year 2003 is a new beginning for Afghanistan and its children. The country has progressed relatively well into post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation. Given the obstacles and challenges that the new government is facing, the world community has once again taken notice of Afghanistan and has made promises of aid to rebuild the fragile infrastructure of this war-torn country. Most importantly, there is a renewed hope and optimism for a future that holds a brighter tomorrow in the faces of the Afghan people themselves. But this is only the beginning. The road to sustainable development in Afghanistan is long and full of obstacles, and traveling that road requires perseverance, foresight, dedication, cultural sensitivity, and care.
The children are the future of Afghanistan. For Afghanistan to become a productive member of the global community, we need to provide the essential tools to its children today, so that they will be able to chart their future in an intelligent manner, and within their own context, tomorrow. Last year, the opportunity for the global community to lend its helping hand began.
Boys and girls can freely go to schools now, but for a majority of these children there are no schools for them to go to (over 70 percent of the schools have been destroyed in the last 20 years); there are no qualified teachers to teach them (the student teacher ratio is estimated at 200:1); and, there are no books and school supplies for them to use. Today there is the opportunity for equal access to health care; however, the majority of the Afghan population still has no access to the most primary forms of health care (there is only one health center for every 100,000 individuals, with one physician for 95,000 patients).
Even with the progress that has been made over the last year, the Afghan child is faced with incredible odds:
- One out of every four children dies before reaching the age of five years.
- Only 10% of mothers receive maternal health care.
- More than 1.4 million children are orphans.
- Over 500,000 children are amputees.
- Only 9.1% of girls and 25% of boys under the age of 14 can read.
There are 37,000 child laborers in the capital city of Kabul alone. And there are over 10,000,000 million land mines spread across the country.
Today, perhaps more than ever, Afghan children need the help of the global community to give them the opportunity for a productive life that will prepare them for the time when they are Afghanistan's decision-makers.
As mentioned above, last year was only the beginning of the reconstruction phase for Afghanistan, with the doors of possibility opening a new chapter in the history of the country. The real work remains for the Afghan people themselves, for it is only the Afghans who can chart out a path to reconstruction that will work within their context and within their framework.
The global community can play a crucial role by concentrating on critical-need areas and by prioritizing its aid for the long and short term. There are many short-term needs that have to be met for the Afghan child, such as food security, shelter, emergency health care, and clothing to survive the winter. But in order for Afghanistan to rebuild itself in the long run, four major areas need to become focal points: security, education, health care, and livelihood. These areas must be fully developed for Afghanistan to reap the fruits of reconstruction, and equal access must be given to all members of society without antagonism.
The Afghan child is full of promise and can become the source of Afghanistan’s true rehabilitation. Let us help all Afghan children achieve their potential.
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