Reduce Poverty; Educate Street-working Children

Dear AAFE Friends, Supporters and Family, 

Since our last report on January 20, 2026, students in Afghanistan were on winter break until the new school year began on March 21, 2026. I am happy to share that the children in our program returned to school with enthusiasm and hope for the future.In Herat province, 24 students advanced to the third grade and are doing very well academically and socially. Their confidence and commitment to learning continue to grow, demonstrating the transformative impact of sustained access to education.

In Kabul, 16 of 20 students advanced to fourth grade. Several changes occurred among our students. Two students, a brother and sister, moved outside the city with their father and we have not been able to reach them. Another student relocated to a different province. A fourth student, Erfan, was expelled from school for ongoing behavioral challenges, including aggression toward other students. Erfan became an orphan at age four and lives with his elderly grandmother, who survives by washing clothes in people’s homes. Before joining our program, Erfan spent his days scavenging on the streets to help support the household. We continued to follow up closely with the family and ensured he was not left behind. He is now enrolled in another private school near his home, and we are supporting him with tuition, stationery, a backpack, a school uniform, and shoes. We remain hopeful that with stability, care, and guidance, he will have another opportunity to succeed.

This year also marked an important expansion of our program. On March 21, 2026, we launched the “From the Streets to Classrooms” initiative in Ghore Province, one of the poorest and most underserved regions of Afghanistan, where access to education is extremely limited. Through a partnership with a respected local private school, we enrolled 30 vulnerable children who had previously been working instead of attending school. Many had been scavenging in trash, assisting car mechanics, or cleaning houses alongside their mothers in order to survive.

Among these new students are five siblings whose story deeply moved us. Their parents both passed away two years ago, leaving the oldest child, a nine-year-old girl, responsible for her four younger brothers. Despite overwhelming hardship, the children have stayed together under the care of an aunt who struggles to support them and pays the rent for the small house they live in. We enrolled all five children in school and aim to provide monthly food support to help ensure they can continue their education rather than return to labor for survival.

Every child in this program carries a story of hardship and hope. Through education, we are not only helping children enter classrooms but also helping them reclaim childhood, dignity, and the possibility of a different future.

We are deeply grateful to our donors for standing with these children and their families during such difficult times. Your compassion and generosity are transforming lives in ways that go far beyond education. Because of your support, children who once spent their days working on the streets now carry backpacks instead of burdens, enter classrooms instead of workplaces, and begin to imagine futures filled with possibility. Thank you for believing in them and for helping us continue this vital work in Afghanistan.

With gratitude

Hassina Sherjan

Links:

• AAFE Website