A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Return to Jalalabad

JANUARY 2005

Godah School, Wardak province (student population: 111)
Noor Khel school, Wardak province (student population: 246)
Fatima Zahra primary school, Jalalabad (student population: 197)

Visit to Jalalabad

The project is now into its second year and is picking up pace. One of Ms. Basiri’s priorities is to improve her monitoring of the schools. During the latter part of January, she again visits the two schools in Jalalabad to meet with the principal, teachers and students. The Godah schools are on vacation.

Fatima Zahra School

Fatima Zahra is one of the few schools that are actually housed in a building, but it is badly in need of repair. The leaky roof is particularly defective. The principal is given the responsibility for fixing the roof and allocated US $68. He promises Ms. Basiri that it will be fixed by the time of her next visit. 

Adela, age 12, a girl from the Godah School.

Most of the students do not have uniforms--a requirement in all Afghan schools. As a result, 97 girls in grades one and two are given uniforms with scarves that were left over from previous donations. This still leaves some remaining students without uniforms. Salaries are also paid to the two teachers and principal.

Absenteeism

Ms. Basiri is able to help the teachers to devise an effective way of monitoring absenteeism. Fatima Zahra School has only maintained a rough and ready record of attendance until this month. Now, they have copied the old data into a new attendance book. This allows them to monitor attendance. They also decide to contact parents is any student does not come to school for more than three days consecutively.

Community Relations

Ms. Basiri meets with the parents of students at the Fatima Zahra School to discuss entertainment in the form of contests and other traditional games. The teachers like the idea of activities for the students that could be held between classes. The first of these is planned for February.

However the point of this goes beyond just providing entertainment. Ms. Basiri’s larger goal is to involve the parents more in the whole process, to make them feel proud when they see how their daughters are succeeding and help the community understand the importance of girls’ education. Many mothers realize that their daughters now have the chance to receive an education – something that they never had.

Putting up with discomfort – students at the Fatima Zahra school, Nangrahar. 

Government Registration

The Fatima Zahra school was once registered by the Government. It was deserted during the exodus of refugees. Although it now has 197 students, the government has yet to register it because returning refugees have started going to a nearby camp school. The parents of the Fatima Zahra girls do not want their daughters going to the other school, because it has inferior facilities and poor security. This leaves Ms. Basiri with no alternative than to continue the responsibility for running it. As mentioned in last month’s report, Ms. Basiri’s ultimate goal is to have the government provide the funding to operate the all of the Omid schools. This can only come with government registration and is essential for their long-term survival.

Trilli School

Ms. Basiri also visits the district of Chapar Har, Ningrahar to discuss plans for working with the Trilli Girls School. As stated in last month’s report, the government has urged her to take on this school. Trilli has had a boy’s school for 18 years, but a girl’s school for only three. Despite the fact that it needs Omid’s support in order to survive, there is only a limited amount that Ms. Basiri can do because her current level of funding will only allow her to invest in three schools.

Unlike the Fatima Zahra School, the Trilli Girl’s School has no real structure, so classes are being held in tents. The parents are uncomfortable at their daughters studying in tents, but with no other facilities available there is no alternative.

Meanwhile, the teachers at the Trilli Boy’s School ask Omid for three tents. They are badly needed because the boys are currently attending classes outside on the sand without any shade or cover. Ms. Basiri asks The Advocacy Project about approving the purchase. She is told that it is for her to decide.

Before leaving, Ms. Basiri also takes the opportunity to instruct the teachers on how to use standardized lesson planners to keep attendance. She will check on their progress on her next visit.

Government Relations

The Ministries of Economics and Education have established a new policy with regard to NGO’s working in the field of education, health, and reconstruction. They must now get permission from the authorities in order to work. Ms. Basiri writes a letter and submits it to Mr. Zahid, the Minister of Education, who approves her request.

Recruitment of female teachers

Finding female teachers continues to be one of Ms. Basiri’s major problems. However, both the Fatima Zahra and Trilli schools are among the fortunate few to have women teachers. At the Fatima Zahra school, she discusses with male teachers about handing over teaching responsibilities to women. The only problem is funding. The women are unable to work for free, because they do not have any other source of income. Nonetheless, the principal takes the initiative to interview six educated women from the area hoping that funds will come through.

Government Relations/ Registration

The Godah school is now registered! On December 4, 2005, Ms. Basiri meets with Mr. Khosal from the Ministry of Education in Kabul. The Ministry can confirm that it has received the profile of the Godah teachers, as requested, and that the Godah school is now registered. In March, the Ministry will tell Omid if the government is allocating any funds to the school, once it learns how much money the Ministry is receiving from the Ministry of Finance.

Exams

The results of the exams, using the Ministry’s guidelines, show that 81 percent of the Godah students passed and 19 percent failed. This is worse than the results for the mid-term exams in September, when 9 percent failed. But the grades of those who passed this time around are roughly the same. Twenty-two percent of the students passed with an excellent grade, compared with 28 percent in September; 29 percent are graded as good (34 percent ); and 30 percent fair (29 percent ).

The exam results at Noor Khel have been better than the mid-terms. 95.5 percent of the girls passed the exams (compared to 96 percent in September);28 percent of the students were given an excellent grade (26 percent ); 46 percent good (43 percent ); 21.5 percent average (27 percent ), 4.5 percent failed.

The state of schools: 80 percent of Afghanistan’s schools have been damaged by war.

Noor Khel and Godah Schools, Wardak: No official visits are paid to either of these schools as they are on winter vacation. The school tents need to be taken down and stored. Ms. Basiri sends letters to the principals, suggesting that this be done.

NGO Networking

Ms. Basiri knows that funds from the grant are being used up, and she begins to explore new sources of funding. She makes contact with Girls Learn International, a nonprofit learning initiative that seeks to engage female American students in global girls' education. She learns that GLI does not provide grants, although they are willing to hold fundraising events to assist one of the Omid schools financially.

Ms. Basiri is also in touch with Women for Afghan Women (WAW), an organization of Afghan and non-Afghans from the New York area who are committed to ensuring the human rights of Afghan women. WAW has already funded Omid literacy centers in Wardak (these centers are a separate initiative that provide an education for older women). An official with WAW has expressed an interest in funding one of Omid’s schools.

• Learn more about Girls Learn International (GLI).

• Learn more about Women for Afghan Women (WAW).