Education Afghanistan Project #58164

Reduce Poverty; Educate Street-working Children

by Aid Afghanistan for Education

Project Report | Jun 10, 2024
From poverty to a beautiful farm

By Hassina Sherjan | Executive Director

Faisal in school

Dear Friend,

It's with great joy that I share the transformation in the lives of the 25 new students we enrolled in a private school this year in Herat province of Afghanistan. These students, who were once weaving carpets, cleaning dried fruits, and selling eggs on the streets to make less than $0.50 per day, are now on a path to a brighter future, thanks to your support.

Every student has a story to tell, and we are archiving all of them. I would like to share Faisal’s (not his real name) story with you.

Faisal is seven years old at first grade. We met him while he was working with his father on the street selling vegetables. His father has a small cart that he has been using to sell vegetables to provide for his family. Faisal was 4 years old when he started to help his father. He waited in the morning after the prayer, 5 AM, for his father to bring the vegetables, and then, together, they cleaned, sorted, and bundled them in small portions ready to sell. He said, “Once the vegetables were ready, my father and I went to the streets. From one street to the next trying to sell and make 300 Afs ($4.16) per day.” He continued, “It was very difficult. Some days, I was so tired that I fell asleep on the cart.”

We asked Faisal what he likes to do with his education, and after thinking for a minute, he said, “I want to become a teacher. The kind of teacher who teaches drawing, painting, and art. I want to paint green and beautiful scenery.” We asked him what kind of scenery he wanted to paint, and he responded, “I want to paint a farm with tall trees, a stream running through it, a very clean place with lots of flowers, and some people working in it.”

Together, we can make Faisal's dream a reality. Let's not just admire his painting of a farm but help him have a real farm of his own. His first painting is attached.

I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for your support so we can continue to provide education for these students. Please help us by spreading the word. It is only $1.92 per day to keep one child in school. And please share our website, www.aidafghanistanforeducation.org where everyone can visit our social media as well.

Warmly

Hassina Sherjan

Faisal first painting

Links:

AAFE Website

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Apr 18, 2024
She has a new lease on life

By Hassina Sherjan | Executive Director

Ayesha and the items she made at Subject Fair

Dear One,

I am delighted to report that we have identified an additional 25 kids to be enrolled in a private school starting on March 23^rd, the first day of the school year in Afghanistan.

These kids, who were once making carpets, selling toys, eggs, and other items on the streets, helping their father sell vegetables, and cleaning dried fruits such as raisins, almonds, and pumpkin seeds earning meager incomes of 10 to 30 Afs or $0.27 to $0.47 per day, now have a new lease on life. One of our students was even a shepherd looking after the family’s livestock. In this private school (for security reasons, we are not sharing the school's name), they will be enrolled in first grade learning English and robotics from the very beginning. We aim to nurture and develop their creativity and imaginative potential. We will continue to support their families with monthly food items to compensate for the income the child was bringing in.

Students will receive books, stationery, transportation, fruits, and tutorials with homework.

Furthermore, I am delighted to share the remarkable achievements of our current students. They have successfully completed one year of schooling and will be advancing to second grade on March 23rd. These children, who were once selling plastic, pens or scavenging in trash for bottles and cans, have become role models for their younger siblings. They have learned valuable skills and are fully prepared for the next level of their education. Their success is a testament to the transformative power of education, which your invaluable support has made possible.

One of our students, Nazira, says, “Before coming to school, I was collecting plastics and bottles. Now I am in school, learning a lot, and teaching my younger sisters at home. During the “Subject Fair,” I made a chart for positive and negative numbers. I love math.”

I hope you can join us online on March 23rd. We will hear from our students in Afghanistan. Registration is open on our website, www.aidafghanistanforeducation.org

I deeply appreciate your commitment to supporting us to assist the most vulnerable children in Afghanistan. Your contributions have been instrumental in establishing a program that provides essential learning opportunities. Without your dedicated support, the prospects of these children would remain dim. Your generosity has enabled us to create a brighter future for them.

With gratitude

Hassina Sherjan

Students at Subject Fair with their art work

Links:

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Nov 19, 2023
Transforming Lives

By Hassina Sherjan | Executive Director

Ayesha at school

Dear one,

Your support has been a lifeline for many children who faced a bleak future. Without your help, they would have been forced to work on the streets for a meager income and barely enough food. Let me tell you about one of our students who has benefited from your generosity.

Ayesha is 9 years old and attending first grade.

She was selling plastic bags on the streets making $0.46 per day to help with the daily food of her family. She says, “I couldn’t go to school because my father, 53 years old, was killed while he was at his job three years ago by a suicide bomber, and I had to start working for us to survive.”

Ayesha’s father was not able to read or write and to support his family, he was selling juice and water near a hospital in Kabul. Ayesha says, “It was very difficult to work on the streets. I was being scolded and denigrated by municipality workers and shopkeepers. Sometimes, they took my money by force.” She continued, “For lunch, some days, some kind people gave me bread and some potato chips.”

Her mother is 45 years old, and she begs for bread from a bakery and money from the people who come to the bakery to feed her children. Ayesha has 4 sisters and 3 brothers. The family lives with Ayesha’s uncle and has to pay $35 per month for one room.

Ayesha also says, “I am very happy to be in school. I feel that I am growing and learning. I love having lunch every day. I want to become a pilot. Monthly food items that we receive from the school are very helpful for my family.”

Thank you for your kind donations, Ayesha has been able to continue her studies this year. We are committed to enrolling 100 more street-working kids in private schools next year as well as sustaining our current students' education for the upcoming years.

Education is the foundation of empowerment, peace, and development. Together, we will witness transformations.

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