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THE OTHER WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
The dark classroom with only one small window was so hot and stuffy that the 38 little girls could hardly breathe. There were only 9 desks and .gif) a few long chairs that had to be shared among the young students. The teacher was trying to convince them how lucky they were to have the opportunity to study and learn. She was talking about their bright future, the possibilities, and many ways they can help Afghanistan when they finish their school.
The girls were listening quietly. Their eyes were filled with questions, worries, and doubts. They knew that just the night before their principal received a night letter from an unknown group who warned him to shut down the school or they will kill him. They were not sure if they would come tomorrow, or their school building would be standing. And yet, here they were, eager to learn as much as they could. Their thirst for knowledge was far greater than these barriers. These little girls and their teacher clearly understand what's at stake; it's not just their own personal lives, but the life and soul of Afghanistan itself. They know that without education there can be no chance for real lasting peace, prosperity, and a true civil society.
There is a furious war being waged in Afghanistan. No, it's not the war between U.S. and NATO forces against Al Qaeda or the Taliban, it's the war between knowledge and ignorance and right now ignorance is winning. Perhaps you've read in the papers or heard on the news stories of schools being burned to the ground; of teachers and school principals being murdered; and of children, especially girls, and their families being threatened to stay home, or else. It's all true.
How did this happen? Afghanistan was the country we had supposedly liberated in late 2001. You remember the scenes; women returning to work; the 2004 Parliamentary elections; hundreds of new schools being built; thousands of new teachers being hired; record numbers of children attending school. It happened because we wanted very much to show the world that we are winning the war on terrorism and what could be a better example of that success than women and children given the opportunity of education. But, the fact of the matter is, our focus shifted to Iraq and we forgot all about Afghanistan.
We all can make the best possible investment toward the world's peace. No, we don't need to spend billions of dollars to win the war on terrorism; we simply need to shift our strategy and make a greater investment to ensure education will survive and flourish. Granted, it takes longer to see results, but it's not nearly as costly as what we are spending now and more importantly, having a b educational infrastructure in Afghanistan is one of the greatest weapons we could possibly have.
We must not allow the progress that was made in establishing access to quality education to 5.2 million children be destroyed because we did not try hard enough to protect children's right to be taught in a safe learning environment. That is why it's more important than ever that we support education in Afghanistan. If an Afghan girl is willing to risk her life to learn, what are we willing to do to help her? She doesn't want much, just a safe place, few notebooks and pencils.
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Our Timely Computer Classes
As Afghanistan continues its reconstruction 'growing pains', new employment opportunities have arisen, especially in the area of computer technology, and with that, a high demand for skilled computer operators. Decades of conflict have unfortunately set Afghanistan far behind most of the world in information technology and now the country is struggling to play 'catch-up'.
Help the Afghan Children (HTAC) has been a leader in bringing innovative strategies and programs to Afghanistan. In 2003 we built and operated the first model school and in 2004, we introduced the first computer literacy program in the country's history.
In March of this year, HTAC assumed sponsorship of Rokhshana High School in the Karte-se district of Kabul. The school, in fact, is located across the street from our HTAC Kabul office. The school's large student population of 4,087 (mostly girls), includes a great many 12-graders who will be graduating soon. The challenges facing young Afghan women remain great, even in Kabul. While few of them might get a chance to continue their education at a university, many others will hope to find employment. A great percentage of those who don't will be expected to marry and start a family. Although our objective was to eventually bring all of its educational programs to Rokhshanna High School, we saw an immediate opportunity to provide computer classes to graduating seniors in order to give them a critical job skill in this expanding technology market – and that's what we did.
In order to make this happen, we needed to create a computer laboratory, equipped with 15 computers, a printer, and generator to provide needed energy for operations. In Kabul, Afghanistan's Capital City, electricity remains scarce, so having consistent, reliable power to run this equipment is essential.
HTAC runs it computer classes with groups of 14 students in each class. Students receive 5 hours of instruction per week (about one hour per day), and are provided with a user-friendly computer workbook called “The Torch of Knowledge”. Once they have completed our program, these students will be tested and evaluated on their computer competency levels. In 2005, 87% of all enrolled students achieved a b competency in the three computer skill areas. We at HTAC are simply delighted to be a sponsor for Rokhshanna High School and in particular, offering a valuable life skill to Afghan girls. |
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Help The Afghan Children Distributes School Supplies To 8500 Students
 Help The Afghan Children's primary focus continues to be the establishment of model schools and innovative learning programs, however, we never forget the critical, on-going need to provide humanitarian aid and emergency relief to children and their families.
On July 15th. we received a shipment of 8500 school kits from the Mennonite Central Committee. Each kit contained 4 notebooks, a ruler, 4 pencils, crayons, and eraser, all in a nice hand-made bag. The big question facing us was – where should we distribute these 8500 school kits? HTAC decided to distribute the kits among three schools in highly under-served areas. The children attending these schools were among the poorest groups of refugees arriving from camps in Pakistan. These children were new to the area; their families were struggling to find work and housing; and they had no money to spend on their children's school supplies. As for the schools themselves, there are no permanent structures yet, so classes are held in tents under the hot sweltering summer sun. But these children are incredibly resilient, grateful to be back in their homeland and for the opportunity to attend school and receive an education. We successfully distributed those 8500 school kits to three schools:
Because of the unusually hot weather, school was not in session and we were not sure whether the students were going to come to receive their kits. However, once the parents of these students were notified of the distribution of school supplies, thousands of girls and boys were rushed to their schools to receive the kits. When we opened a sample kit to show them the contents, students were so happy to see a lot more than they were expecting. One girl innocently asked, “You gave me 4 notebooks. I have never had 4 notebooks. Am I allowed to give one of them to my sister?”
HTAC is proud of our b, continued partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee in helping us meet the educational, humanitarian, and emergency relief needs of Afghan children and their families. We cherish and look forward to continuing this very special relationship.
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AmeriCares – Another Key Partner
 AmeriCares has been another key partner with HTAC in the delivery of humanitarian aid and emergency relief. In fact, shortly after Ms. Suraya Sadeed returned from Afghanistan, a new AmeriCares shipment of medicines, medial, and relief supplies arrived in Kabul, cleared customs, and HTAC began the process of distribution. We are proud to be AmeriCares' primary distributor of aid in Afghanistan. The last shipment was distributed to 10 hospitals and health clinics that benefited an estimated 15,000 patients in different provinces of Afghanistan.
In 2005 alone, AmeriCares provided four shipments of critical medicines and medical supplies that HTAC distributed to vulnerable populations in a number of provinces; air-shipped winter emergency supplies in response to the exceedingly cold winter Afghanistan experienced; and provided a $10,000 grant to purchase propane gas heaters, stoves, and lanterns for 820 families.
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Teachers are the glue of civilization
Yes, teachers are the glue of civilization; and have the capacity to be a catalyst for positive change. We believe that we must have competent and caring teachers in every classroom in order to establish a vibrant and successful educational system. In Afghanistan, despite dramatic increases in the number of schools built, thousands of teachers hired, and record-setting enrollments of students, delivering quality education remains elusive. Conservative estimates say Afghanistan will need 100,000 quality teachers to meet its educational needs. This is why teacher training occupies such a primary focus in our educational strategy. HTAC is proud of the fact that in 2005 our Teacher Training Program (TTP) was recognized by several educational agencies and organizations as one of the top learning programs for teachers in Afghanistan and we are working hard in 2006 to make it even better.
Our TTP program focuses on 11 key teaching competencies that are essential for establishing productive and nurturing learning environments in the classroom. By focusing on these competencies, we'll be able to not only measure and evaluate which competencies teachers in our schools have mastery in, but also establish improvement plans with appropriate coaching from our teacher trainers to help teachers acquire most or all of the required competencies. Mastering the competencies will translate into quality teaching and increased learning capacities for students.
To ensure teachers master and apply these competencies in the classroom, HATC uses a 4-step model where knowledge is transferred from teacher trainers to school teachers:
- Teacher Training Seminars – Competencies are introduced and discussed.
- Modeling – Teachers observe trainers modeling competencies in the classroom.
- Co-Teaching – Teachers and trainers partner in the classroom.
- Coaching – Trainers observe, evaluate, and help improve teacher performance.
We are confident these teachers will show significant improvement throughout the school year, thereby giving them to tools to deliver a higher level of quality education to thousands of Afghan children.
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