By Ali Reza Yunespour, Partnership Coordinator
This year marks 15 years since we first partnered with the Borjegai community to improve education outcomes in local schools and
five years since we extended the program to Jirghai. Despite ongoing conflict and the fragile social and political context in Afghanistan, our partnership has remained strong and continues to scale up.
In the past 12 months, we have partnered with the Jirghai community to provide furniture for four schools, purchased and delivered over 3,000 books to five schools and built a new building for Qaraqul High School – our first time partnering with a school outside of Ghazni province. These programs have benefitted around 1800 primary and secondary students – a third of whom are girls – who enrolled in these schools last year.
And in exciting news, our education programs in Borjegai and Jirghai were acknowledged last month with an award by the Provincial Head of Education Mr Muheb Ansar. As always, these milestones are made possible because of the ongoing support of our committed volunteers, generous donors including the Planet Wheeler Foundation, and of course the sacrifice, leadership and financial commitment of our partner communities.
Reflecting on the past year – students, principals, teachers
It has been an incredibly busy 12 months for our partnership with the Jirghai community. At Shebar High School in Jirghai, the student cohort of 350 students enjoyed their first full academic year in their new school building, built with indigo foundation support in 2016. In August 2017, we worked with Jirghai schools to build a library and purchase 350 books, as well new desks and chairs so students no longer have to sit on the floor.
Masuma, a grade 10 student at Shebar High School, says: “I used to attend my classes under the old tents and empty shops for the past eight years. I am so happy since we have moved to the new building … My family have seen our classes in the new school building and have allowed me to continue my education until grade 12.”
Similarly, students of the Fatimeya School did not have any furniture or access to a library since it was established in 2003. Last year, the community worked with indigo foundation to provide tables and chairs for around 250 students, and to cement the floors of eight- classrooms as well as the school corridor. These were significant achievements for Sar-e Garmab village, one of the most remote and isolated villages in Jirghai community.
The school’s principal Juma Khan Alizada shares: “Until this year, our students used to sit on the floor, mostly on old plastic mats. However, we became aware of indigo foundation’s work in Borjegai and Jirghai, and approached Ali Reza Yunespour for assistance for our furniture around two years ago. We are proud of our partnership with indigo foundation and the difference that it has made to our school and the education of our students.”
In addition to students, local teachers have also reported bene ts from our partnership with the Jirghai community. Access to resources like exercise books and teaching materials have been especially useful for some teachers, graduates from Borjegai and Jirghai schools, who for social and economic reasons could not attend higher education and teacher training institutions.
Kamali, a teacher of Dari and Pashto language in Jirghai’s Shebar High School, graduated from a public teacher training institution in Kabul and has been teaching at Shebar High School for four years.
“We all work double shifts and it is very difficult for us to go to our homes every day and return back to work the next morning,” she shares. “We used to cook and sleep in an old shop, which was also used as school storage, and sometime classroom, until indigo foundation provided the new school building for Shebar High School in 2016.”
“Since then, we have been teaching our students in the new building. The indigo foundation-funded building, furniture and books have made things much easier for us,” adds Kamali. Teachers have also renovated the shop— now no longer needed for storage—and have a proper place to sleep and cook.
Moving beyond Jirghai: Qaraqul High School building
Last year, for the first time in 15-years, our partnership moved beyond communities in Borjegai and Jirghai to the neighbouring Maidan Wardak province.
We partnered with the local community to construct a six-classroom building and a corridor for Qaraqul High School. It was completed in October 2017, and about 300 students – including 120 girls – have been using this building since the start of the new Afghan academic year in late March.
The Qaraqul High School project was a joint initiative that involved indigo foundation, our Kabul-based nancial trustee and his team, the Jirghai school shura (Council), and the Qaraqul High School community elders and principal. In these isolated communities in rural Afghanistan, the construction of a new school building acted as a catalyst to bring these different parties together to share resources, knowledge, expertise and a commitment to education and community-led development.
The political and security context
Our partnerships in Borjegai, Jirghai and neighbouring provinces operate in a fragile social and political context – one that we work with our Afghan-based team to continually monitor and assess.
While the Afghan National Unity Government controls most of the district centres across Afghanistan, the Taliban, Islamic State and other insurgent groups put enormous political pressure on the government and are a real threat to innocent civilians.
Last year was one of the deadliest years since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, with 10,000 civilian deaths. The country-wide insecurity and partial withdrawal of international troops have exacerbated unemployment, poverty, and economic challenges – this in turn has hampered community development.
While the Afghan government expects 9 million students to be enrolled in primary and secondary schools this year, the reality on the ground is bleak: half of all primary and secondary schools are without buildings, 3.5 million children (mostly girls) are out of school because of insecurity, cultural norms and a lack of education infrastructure; and between 600 and 1,000 schools have been closed due to the ongoing conflict.
In the face of these national statistics, our long- term partnership with the Borjegai has supported the local community to strengthen nine schools, ensuring they have basic infrastructure, including sound buildings, toilets, furniture and books. In turn, we have seen a growing number of girls enrolled in schools, a growing number of female teachers and much improved graduation rates. More importantly, at a time that the Afghan government lacks resources and capacity to provide equitable education and community services, our partner schools and communities are leading the way to educate their children and to fight poverty and insurgency.
Since 2003, indigo foundation has cherished the resolve and commitment of our partner communities. We will continue to support them in their desire to provide quality education and to achieve social and gender equity in their respective schools and communities.
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