Fall 2019
A Word from Our Director Dear Friends and Supporters, Every year we send you a report of our much-needed work on the ground in Afghanistan. It remains a very difficult place, with war, poverty, and a pervasive lack of security. Women especially live in often dire situations, deprived of basic human needs. AWF tries our best to help them overcome the obstacles to improving their lives. You as AWF supporters make this possible! AWF may not be able to change the lives of all 30 million Afghans, but with your help we have helped thousands have hope and create better futures. Their efforts, their dedication to the next generation, and their successes warm our hearts and make us proud. Thank you for being part of our efforts. Peace, Fahima Gaheez Director, Afghan Women’s Fund
Jalalabad / Nangarhar The Achin District, in southern Nangarhar Province near Pakistan, is where the U.S. Air Force dropped huge bombs on a tunnel complex built by Dayesh-affiliated militants in April 2017, destroying a local village and killing militants and civilians. Dayesh (ISIS) has been very strong in the area and government influence weak, so the people have been living in danger for years, isolated with almost no outside support. As you may recall from a previous newsletter, I was in Jalalabad during the 2017 bombing. We were planning to travel the very next day to a village near Achin to deliver supplies and start literacy classes. Our conference, 20 km west, was interrupted by the sound of explosions in the distance, cancelling all plans. Later, with the help of local volunteers AWF did open literacy classes for 100 women and sewing and tailoring classes for 60, graduating last April. Since then, Achin residents continued to message our local volunteers asking for help, and they have been doing what
they can. This year I could finally travel to Achin. In one meeting we talked with a group of about 200 women and girls. When I asked how many could read or write not one raised her hand. They have no education, and very little access to knowledge about protecting their rights or their families.
Male Supporters Discussing Plans
In another gathering, the men we met with were very supportive of women’s education but struggling with how to make progress. We learned that a few were educated in Jalalabad, one a college graduate and another a teacher. The teacher is running a local boys school, covering three classes at once. We asked them to open literacy and other classes for women and girls. After much discussion about how to surmount the difficulties, they agreed to find a qualified woman teacher from another area. AWF agreed to provide funds for room rental, teacher salary, school supplies, and carpets to cover the dirt floors. Unfortunately, they said AWF has been the only group helping them. Since April they have indeed opened a girls’ school. Their periodic updates include that it is held in five “classrooms” across several private homes, plus two in a courtyard under a grape arbor for shade, with 157 girls attending. They employ 6 teachers from the region, and are also opening 5 women’s literacy classes in other homes across the area. Further, to increase local family incomes the villages have started women’s vocational training in embroidery and beading (including basic literacy and numeracy), with 57 women enrolled in two cohorts so far. Their area is too sparsely populated to make basic tailoring
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As you know, AWF strives to provide as many girls as possible with supplies they must have to attend school. This past spring and summer we arranged for distributions at 12 schools in the Mir Bacha Kot area. One was Mamakhel Elementary School in Mama Janak, which AWF helped build a number of years ago. It now educates more than 400 students a day (girls and boys), more than double at its start, and is used for adult literacy at night. The families view this as a huge success in educating the next generation. Additionally, its first aid and vaccination clinic helps keep the students, staff, and families healthy. Aneconomically viable, but fine beading and embroidery other was the clinic and women’s shura that AWF built in are rarer. So, it makes sense for the men working in Mushwani Ulia, now also used as an elementary school. Jalalabad to take the women’s beaded collars, shawls, The number of girls attending outgrew the existing school and other pieces there to sell. After initial efforts to con- building, so elementary grades moved to the clinic/shura nect with markets, they are meeting with good success. leaving the school is for the middle school grades. We donated yearly school supplies for about 250 girls. Most recently, their progress has led other area villages to ask AWF for help opening women’s literacy and vocational training. It hurts my heart to have to tell them “not now,” but we do not currently have the funds. Can you help? Achin School, First Registration Day
Khewa: Last year, we also partnered with villages in the Khewa area of Nangarhar to start sewing, beading, tailoring, and embroidery classes, including our donation of sewing machines. They have now graduated a total of 60 women, plus 100 from literacy classes . Even more New Incubator at Mir Bacha Kot Clinic encouraging, the women organizing the Khewa classes are now also helping women in neighboring areas start classes, and teaching at them. Their income-generating efforts have also been quite successful; the Khewa area Logar Province is large and has numerous men working in Jalalabad and Kabul who have helped the village women find markets Similarly, the Malalai School in Deh Now continues to (similar to in Achin, above). play a central role in educating children and adults in its section of Logar Province: 2,000 student per day attend the enlarged school, in three shifts. Some teachers also Kabul Area: Mir Bacha Kot lead literacy classes for adults after hours; they graduated 6 classes last year and added three more this past spring. Several years ago AWF donated two incubators for premature or ill newborns to the clinic we partner with in the area. They have been heavily used, reducing infant mortality. Both need replacement so we were glad we could raise the funds to deliver one in April. They are asking other organizations to help replace the second one. We also delivered a hospital bed, medical supplies and antibiotics from supporters in the U.S., and 100 sets of clothes for newborns as many families are destitute.
Last spring we arranged to deliver school supplies as we have every year, plus 4 laptops for their computer lab. It now has 15 computers, and we are happy to report that computer literacy classes for 50 girls have restarted. They had been very successful for several years until 2018 when the teacher left. It proved very hard to find a qualified female computer teacher who could come to the area. At the same time, the area’s security and mili-
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tants’ situation shifted, making travelling to the school even harder for women and girls and complicating the teacher search. Now, after more than a year, they have found an instructor and classes have begun again.
the Mohammad Agha District. Two years ago, the donor of the land for our school in Deh Now suggested we try to assist this community as they were in dire straits. This led to AWF partnering with them to organize one literacy class two years ago, and expanding to the tent classrooms Paying for teacher salaries is an ongoing struggle for rural last year. We are glad to report that in 2019 AWF was schools, including bus or taxi fare if qualified people able to support 4 additional literacy classes and 4 more cannot be found locally. While AWF and our partner vocational training courses in the neighboring city of villages strive to link “our” schools into the government Gardez. Residents benefitting from the “tent school” system, this does not mean the government pays all mentioned our work to relatives there. Hungry for educateachers. The local people must fund teachers for tion and to improve their lives, and heartened by their “extras” like computer literacy, and for all unregistered relatives experience, they then reached out to AWF. schools or teachers. Given the insufficient government system, this includes many rural schools. AWF strives to help as much as possible. Your support is dearly needed. Paktia Province: Gardez In other parts of the Mohammad Agha District, literacy classes have graduated 125 women (in 5 courses), and are expanding to vocational training and income generation. Women asked for AWF’s help starting sewing, embroidery, crochet, and beading. At first we worried that we have focused too much on tailoring in these vocational programs. However, discussions with the local women made clear that there is a strong market. As you may know, Afghans usually have a tailor sew their clothing rather than buying it pre-made, especially in rural areas. Each suit of clothing costs 200-300 Afghani ($3-4 U.S. dollars), with similar prices for sewing curtains, school uniforms, sheets and pillow cases.
The Shashgard School in Gardez employs 22 teachers, educating 1,800 girls each day in two shifts. Like so many schools, they have long outgrown their building and expanded into 10 tents. AWF would like to help them build a school-addition but we have not been able to raise the funds so far. In the meantime, we were able to add 7 computers to their computer lab and 2 tents for their women’s literacy classes. We were also able to bring medical supplies to the nearby health clinic.
Making several per week can earn a skilled tailor up to 5,000 Afghani ($70 U.S. dollars) monthly, enough to support a family’s basic needs. Making hand-embroidered destar-khwan (the cloth people spread on the floor to eat on) or roy jayee suzani (which cover sleeping mats piled up out of the way during the day) brings in higher prices Terah Literacy Class but is more labor intensive. This past year AWF donated 20 sewing machines for their training classes and an Also, this past spring was my first time visiting the Terah additional 20 for the program to give to women when District of Gardez. It was heartening to meet with local they graduate, to help start their home businesses. people so hungry to learn and progress and sobering to realize how long they have struggled without assistance. The longstanding Sher Mohammad Khan School is still serving many families and children, and AWF donated school supplies again this year. Local efforts continue since the revered S. M. Khan passed away two years ago, and 49 girls graduated last year. Finally, you may remember the large tents used for classrooms that we pictured in the last newsletter. These serve primarily nomad families in another part of
This past year, AWF helped the local village open sewing, tailoring, and beading classes to increase local income, including 20 sewing machines. We were also able to contribute school supplies and carpets for the classes they hold in tents. Additionally, one of the very dedicated local AWF volunteers in Terah is also helping us organize efforts in Achin.
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Inspiring Hope for a Better Future Last month the presidential election was held in Afghanistan. People were hungry for democracy, rule of law, and a voice in choosing their future, so they came out to vote despite threats of suicide bombings and being personally attacked or killed. Many walked for kilometers to get to polling centers, standing in long lines. A 103 year old man, a 93 year old woman, handicapped people carried on the backs of family members, all went to vote. This speaks to the resilience and determination of Afghans. No war, threats, or torture will stop them from striving to build a better future. If given the opportunity, they will make a better life for themselves and for the next generations. Please help them succeed! In this photo, a youth peace group has painted “Stop War. We want Peace. War Destroys” on the bombed ruins of a school
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AWF is 100% volunteer organization committed to helping the people, especially women and girls, of Afghanistan forge a better future. This is a huge task and is not possible without your support, for which we are so grateful. Thank you for your help and trust these many years, and into the future. COURAGE COMPASSION CHANGE Courage to create a new and peaceful society. Compassion for the women, children and all those who suffer in these times. Change through education, healthcare and sustainable employment.
PLEASE SUPPORT AWF via credit card at our website
www.afghanwomensfund.org Or send your tax-deductible donation to:
AWF c/o Fahima Gaheez 1321 Maple Ave Verona PA 15147