2013 has thus far been a successful year for Creating Hope International (CHI) and the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL). Our learning centers are growing and expanding, and the attendance rates for our Herat and Kabul centers are significantly higher than the rates recorded last year. Small communities in rural parts of the country have requested that AIL open centers in their villages, because they see the positive impact these centers have on communities comparable to their own. Changes like these are promising because it shows that perceptions on educating women and girls has transformed to the point where communities are actively requesting that AIL educate their wives and daughters.
We are providing education to a growing number of women and girls of all ages and backgrounds. In January of this year, we brought education to over 7,300 girls in subjects such as literacy, English, Arabic, and computer technology. We have also provided these women and girls with ample opportunities to gain skills in sewing, tailoring, carpet and silk weaving, macramé, and painting. All of these skills open doors for careers and other opportunities to make an income. In addition, our Fast-Track program has opened doors to women and girls by providing them with flexible schedules to learn the basics as fast or as slow as they are able to. We have recently started a mobile literacy course where students can obtain accelerated proficiency in literacy in as little as 4 months. Again, we wish to thank you all for your generosity and compassion in making these hopeful changes possible!
All of us at Creating Hope International (CHI) and the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) would like to thank you all for your generous support. Every day we are bringing education, health care, and other necessary services to more and more Afghans. It is truly making an impact on individuals as well as communities, bettering the quality of life and their standards of living on the whole.
Through last year, AIL held workshops in peace, love, forgiveness, humanity, and human rights for 1309 participants. These are promising statistics, especially considering that so many women and young people are taking part in these helpful and eye opening conferences. We receive calls every day from students, NGOs, government offices and civil society members who request a peace, love, and forgiveness conference of their own. The popularity of our workshops and the content they address is very enriching to Afghans; they speak of hope and reconciliation rather than despair and vengeance. The people of Afghanistan are hungry for change, and AIL is bringing it to them. Again, we thank you all for your continuous support of our programs!
AIL is committed to changing the lives of the underserved in Afghanistan and the Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan. One of our target groups is adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19. In a sample month from 2012, approximately 54% of Learning Center students were in this age group. These young people are eager to learn and receptive to new ideas. Programming aims to intervene at this critical stage to set them on the path of life long learning, engaging them in critical thinking and developing reasoning, logic and self confidence. In addition, they need to be healthy and to understand how to take care of their health so the healthcare program is also part of the difference AIL makes.
The topics covered at Learning Centers and through the workshop program are varied from academic, such as Arabic, English, Math to income generating such as silk weaving, embroidery and capacity building such as peace, leadership, democracy, health and human rights. Learning is life changing as evidenced by these comments from participants in a Leadership Workshop:
Shima “I disliked being a woman before I attended the workshop. I always thought women were useless creatures. But my mind has completely changed now and I am proud of being a woman. I believe I can be beneficial for my community.”
Laila “I always thought there was no difference between men and women. I had never dared to do something on my own. But now I want to make my own choices. I want to reach my goals even more and I am sure I can benefit my community.”
Most people in the developed world grow up with some expectations placed on them with regard to education, at least to be able to read and write. Many young girls in Afghanistan grow up without even this hope for their development. AIL changes this by offering classes and training and by addressing personal development issues such as self esteem, finding a voice, confidence and finding ones place in the world , as well as providing quality healthcare and health education.
Thank you for your support for these young women as they grow in the world and find their place and their role in bettering their community.
