Empower Afghan girls with computer skills

There was a noticeable sense of excitement and anticipation among the students at Khwaj Musafer Girls High School in this often neglected region of Afghanistan.  The girls had quickly filled up a classroom that had been converted into a computer laboratory and they sat there in groups of threes, gazing at a computer screen, a keyborard and mouse for the very first time; eager, but patient as they waited to be introduced to their computer instructor and receive their first lesson.

For these students at Khwaj Musafer, this moment had been a long time coming.  Several years ago, during one of HTAC's periodic visits to the region, our educational team met with students and their teachers.  We had been providing this school with two programs and wanted to get their feedback.

They told us how much they enjoyed HTAC's hands-on environmental education program that was teaching them valuable lessons about taking personal responsibility for their health and local environment and they were eager to show us their litter-free school grounds and beautiful maintained school garden.  They were also grateful for bringing peace education to the school and we were impressed, not only hearing how students were embracing the princicples of peaceful daily living, but sharing their lessons and peace stories with their parents and other family members.

But there was one subject that kept coming up in our discussions.  "When can we have computer lessons at our school?" Many of these students came from poor families and after high school, they faced a predictably dim future of being married off and bearing children, unless they had job skills.

To make their wish a reality, HTAC reached out to our donors and friends, and with their help and a lot of work, a program began to come together.  Most of the computer equipment had to be shipped to Kabul, Afghanistan, then delivered by truck to the school.  Because the school lacked elecftricity, a generator was purchased to provide power to the computer equipment.  We also had to raise funds to pay a qualified computer instructor who would visit the school, once a week.

It took a while, but when the moment came in late March, and seeing the looks on the faces of these girls, we knew the wait was worth it.  The computer lab is not large; 15 girls at a time can sit by a computer for their once a week lessons, which means about 75 students are able to get a weekly lesson.  But eventually, our goal (with your help) is to keep this program running at Khwai Musafer so that all 719 deserving girls can obtain computer knowledge and skills that will transform their lives.

The teenaged girls lined up in orderly fashion, patiently waiting to receive their much-needed school kits.  Many of them came from families too poor to afford even the most basic school supplies and they were grateful as they opened their bags to find notebooks, pens, pencils and tablets.  Many of the girls were grateful to even being able to attend school, since it was not unusual for girls past puberty to remain at home, helping with household chores and waiting for a marriage proposal.

But what these and other girls in nearby schools really wanted was to be in a computer class.  They knew that if given the chance, learning computer skills would change their lives forever.  Upon their graduation, they could seek the computer related jobs that were beginning to appear in their district; jobs that were being filled by young men.  Or, they could find work in Kabul where there were even more opportunities.  Without any marketable skills they would not have much of a life.  These girls wanted to be productive and be able to help their families. Computer skills would give them that and something else; dignity.

Paghman is a district known for its beautiful setting at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountain range, its fruit trees and famous gardens.  It is also an underserved region of the country with few schools and insufficient resources to support a growing population of school-aged children.  Sadly, girls' schools tend to be less supported than schools for boys.

Two years ago, the girls politely asked their teacher if a computer class might be coming to their school in the future. Their teacher did not want to dash their hopes, but she didn't want to raise their expectations either.  She was aware that HTAC had been working hard to bring the first computer education program to several schools in the area, including theirs. "One day" she told them. "People are raising money to bring this program to our school." This past year they asked again.  She knew we were closer in securing funds for a computer class, but she was cautious in her response to her students. 

This spring, HTAC gave this teacher and her students a huge surprise.  When we brought in and began assembling the computer equipment at the school, the village buzzed with excitement. Even many parents who had been reluctant to send their daughters back to school expressed gratitude for they realized the skills their girls would learn could help their families economically.   A generator with sufficient fuel had to be brought in to power the equipment (there is no electricity in these schools), and a search for a qualified female instructor took some time. Finally, everything was ready and HTAC's education team proudly announced the very first computer education for this Paghman school was open for enrollment.  To see the looks on the faces of these deserving girls made all our work worthwhile.