When they go to other villages, they wear their pens in their shirt pockets, to show off the fact that they go to school.' 'Before the school opened, I was looking after my father's sheep. The desire for schooling runs deep in Afghanistan, even among the uneducated. However, the chances of getting a decent education are very slim. A whole generation of children is losing out, prompting questions about where this leaves the future of this devastated country. Illiteracy, already high in pre-war Afghanistan, has soared in the past twenty years.
Most Afghan children have no educational opportunities.
Assistance for educational programs comes from the international aid community such as the various United Nations departments, and non-governmental organizations such as Help the Afghan Children, Inc. and others. Help the Afghan Children, Inc.'s educational and vocational training centers have been teaching hundreds of children and young adults basic education and life skills for the past seven years. The aim of the program is to help the children learn so that they become self-sufficient, and someday to support their families. We had a very rough year as far as running these centers and we were not sure if we could make it. However, with the donations from our dedicated friends, to whom we express our gratitude, we were able to give hope and the prospect of a brighter future to 150 students who otherwise would likely have been alone and begging on the streets.