Fast-Tracking Education for Afghan Women and Girls
Summary
Provide literacy and fast-track education to 1,000 women and girls who were deprived of learning by the Taliban and are now eager to become literate and earn grade certificates at an accelerated pace
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Received $14,232 from 119 donations from people like:
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More Information About this Project
Project Needs and Beneficiaries
After decades of war and the Taliban regime, most Afghan women and girls are not literate. Project partner AIL offered underground schooling to thousands of girls during the Taliban regime and now offers classes in the open to women and girls through Educational Learning Centers (ELCs). They are eager to learn as much and as quickly as possible after years of having no opportunity to learn. ELCs offer women and girls culturally sensitive education at safe locations close to their homes.
Activities
ELCs give women and older girls a chance to catch up on years of missed schooling by studying for grade certificates on a fast-track basis. Many ELC students finish multiple grade levels within one year’s time.
Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $14,037
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $50,963
Total Funding Goal: $65,000
Additional Documentation
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
Resources
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
Organization
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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
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 August 07, 2008.
Date Added to GlobalGiving
This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on September 01, 2005.
Latest Update from the Field
Snapshot (2008) of the Fast Track Education Project
By Alison Hendry - Administrative Assistant, August 07, 2008 04:39 PM
Between January and June of 2008, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) has educated 9,143 women at centers 5 provinces of Afghanistan (Balkh, Herat, Kabul, Bamyan, and Parwan) as well as Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Subjects currently being taught to the women include:
Literacy
Dari
Science (Including Physics and Chemistry)
Math (Including Trigonometry)
English
Sewing and Tailoring
Computer Literacy
Calligraphy
Art
Weaving (Including traditional carpet weaving)
Beauty Parlor Management
The AIL classes are fast track, allowing students to learn at their own pace. Many women and girls have missed out on years of the traditional schooling experience and AIL allows them to make up for lost time, and if possible, rejoin classes in a regular school. Also, AIL centers allow married women to continue their education, a practice not always allowed in regular schools.
Afghan women are often told that after a certain age, they will not be able to learn to read or write. Believing this, they begin coming to the centers to learn vocational skills. As they attend the center, they see other women attending the center’s literacy classes and are able to witness the other women learning to read and write. Soon they begin to believe that they too might be able to learn to read and write. The families of the women have come to trust AIL, and allow their daughters and wives to take the AIL literacy classes.
A young girl named Parmila says, “I am really happy with the Women’s Learning Center that I attend. It is a good and safe educational environment for females. Before the establishment of this center here, the society of this area was against the girl's education. But fortunately the center has done a great deal to change their minds. My parents have not allowed me to go to school and it was very hard for me that my rights have not given to me. So when my parent saw that many women and girls go to the Women’s Learning Center without any problem and all the teachers there are female, they allowed me to go to this center. After some time they took another positive step and told me to get admission in the regular school too. Now I am in grade 7th and I understand if the Women’s Learning Center had not been established here, I and many other girls would remain illiterate people in the society. If that were to happen, this society would never change their mind regarding their girls’ education.”
A 45 year-old women who received her certificate of completion of the 2nd literacy class says, “I am so happy that in this age with so many problems at home I could be able to attend the literacy class here. I and my small daughter are in the same class. I really enjoyed the time that we spend gathered here to learn. The teachers are very nice and hard working people. I appreciate their hard work and I appreciate the executive director of this foundation for providing this opportunity for us. If we did not have this foundation here, God knows what would happen to us.”
Fatima, a student at one of AIL’s centers says, “I born in Iran because my family had to migrate there. As I have grown I have always felt that I am from Afghanistan and would really like to see my country. I was admitted to an Iranian school, and was promoted to grade 3, but had to stop going to school. My father’s economic situation was not good, and he could no longer support me. It was very hard for me to have to stop my education. As time was passing and I was getting older, I saw boys and girls going to school with happy faces and it really bothered me. The only thing I could do was just pray to go back to my country and be able to go to school.
Finally, we returned to Afghanistan and I was so happy to breathe the oxygen of my own country. A few months later, I tried to go to school but it was so late and I was told that I was too old to attend the regular schools. Once again I lost hope.
I got the information from my neighbors that there is an educational center for women established by A.I.L and I went there and started learning literacy and sewing. Now I am in grade 5 and I hope I can continue my education and on day go to the university. I am so happy that I am learning to read and write, and also to sew, and I hope that I will be able to support myself with these skills. I have also learned a little English because it is a subject that we must learn. I appreciate that my teachers work hard. Every day she speaks to the students about peace, health, manners and more, for ten minutes before beginning our lessons. I must thank AIL for providing this opportunity to Afghan women.”
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