Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

1,000 women and girls will become literate. Hundreds will choose to further their education on a fast-track basis and some will mainstream into government schools at age-appropriate grade levels.

Project Message

When I joined AIL’s literacy course, I couldn’t even take the pencil properly in my hands. Now I can read the first volume textbook and write. I am very happy and wish a long life for AIL.
- Zarghona, literacy class student

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Toc Dunlap,
President
Creating Hope International
PO Box 1058
Dearborn, Michigan 48121
United States
(313) 278-5806
Email:

Project Sponsor

Creating Hope International

Organization

Creating Hope International (CHI) Creating Hope International PO Box 1058 Dearborn, Michigan 48121 United States (313) 278-5806 http://www.creatinghope.org

Learn more about Creating Hope International (CHI) and the project team.

Creating Hope International (CHI)'s Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Learning Centers for Rural Women in Herat	Carpet Weaving Puts Tradition to Work for Women	Save Rural Women and Children With Healthcare	Give Afghans a University Degree
Educating Tibetan Refugee Children and Youth	Train Afghan Leaders to Build a Peaceful Country	Improving Computer Literacy in Afghanistan	Tailoring: A Small-Business Skill for Afghan Women
See all 18 projects

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in Afghanistan and can also be found under Education.

For more information about Afghanistan, read the Human Development Report on Afghanistan or the Wikipedia entry for Afghanistan.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on October 19, 2007.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on September 01, 2005.

Latest Update from the Field

Information about AIL Fast Track classes

By Toc Dunlap - Executive Director, October 19, 2007 05:06 PM

In response to a question from a donor about any religious teachings in the Fast Track classes, we wanted to share the following details about the program in Afghanistan:

All of AIL's Fast Track classes include information on health, peace, gender and human rights issues. The subject matter of the Fast Track classes varies depending on what is requested by the students. The most common Fast Track classes are literacy, sewing or other crafts such as carpet weaving, embroidery, etc., Arabic, beauty parlor management. In some centers, there are classes in English, computer, calligraphy, math, science, drawing, art and other subjects--it depends on what the students need. In addition, if students progress beyond the first literacy class, they then begin studying the same books as they would study in the school system. We still call it literacy because our centers are not schools. However, the subjects are equivalent to those in the schools which is why students can either mainstream into the regular schools after attending our classes or receive grade certificates by taking an exam in the schools for particular grade levels. If a student is studying in the fourth grade level or beyond, then there may be religion in some of the history classes --it is like history of the religion--not theology. This would be the same as in social studies classes here in the U.S.

If the question pertains to indoctrination, then the answer is "no" there is no religious or political indoctrination in AIL classes.

Just to make sure that it is clear, AIL calls its classes Fast Track classes because in general the length of time of the classes is shorter than it would be in the regular school system. Also, AIL students can study at their own pace so if a student covers the material quicker in a literacy class, then the student can go on to the next level. Likewise, if a student is slower, they can study for a longer period of time. AIL's emphasis is on the students learning. When they have learned and passed the tests, they get a certificate. It is based on what is learned, not on the amount of time spent sitting in a class. For this reason, AIL's certificates are valued.Because of the lack of education under the Taliban for both girls and boys, after the fall of the Taliban, everybody wanted to catch up and study as fast as they could. That is why AIL instituted the "Fast Track" system. What it has evolved into is really a flexible way of studying which allows students to study at their own pace. Most students do finish faster than they would in a regular school but a few do not. Again the emphasis is on learning.

Read 4 more "Updates from the Field" | Comment on this update

Subscribe to "Updates from the Field" by E-Mail

How Else You Can Help

Spread the Word on your Profile, Blog, or Website

Put a widget for this project on your profile, blog or website to turn your friends into givers. Using our widget, it's quick and easy to add this widget to your profile or blog!