Mennonite
Central
Committee

Afghanistan: Help the Afghan Children (HTAC)

April 2004

Students hold samples of new storybooks written in English and Dari. The stories are not only a joy to read, but also provide the skills and hope needed by Afghanistan's children to believe in themselves and a civil society for their future.

Ahmad's Kite is a wonderful story about a thoughtful young boy, his kite, and the important lessons he learns for solving problems in daily life. (English--15 pp., illustrated; Dari--9 pp., illustrated).

A New School in the Village: Leyla's Gift is a heartwarming story about a hopeful young girl whose dream of one day having a school in her village becomes a reality. (English--16 pp., illustrated; Dari--14 pp., illustrated).

For more information on receiving these books, go to the HTAC website at www.helptheafghanchildren.org/current_newsletter.htm.

The average Afghan is still faced with waking up each day and struggling to make it to the next day. The infrastructure of the country remains destroyed; poverty is as prevalent as before, if not worse, and quality interventions in social services are few and far between. More specifically in the area of education, although the number of students enrolled in schools has dramatically increased, the quality of education remains very low.

Help the Afghan Children's educational programs, which have been supported by Global Family sponsors' generous contributions, have been steadily working to address these critical issues and have been making considerable headway. During the last six months they have:

• trained 69 teachers in teaching methodologies (this training has been a continuous and ongoing program that includes seminars, observations and one-on-one consultations with the teachers)
• fully developed the first Peace Education Curriculum in Afghanistan for grades 1-6.
• trained 37 teachers in Peace Education
• given stipends to 24 teachers in the Abdullah Bin Omar Primary School
• provided school supplies to 1,047 students in the Abdullah Bin Omar Primary School
• supported the operational costs of the Abdullah Bin Omar Primary School
• developed green areas for students in the school by planting 500 trees and landscaping 300 square meters with flowers and grass
• conducted winter study session for 850 students.

 

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