Literacy Classes & Books for Afghan Women & Girls

Recent Developments in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been stunned by recent developments and people are adapting as best they can, to a new situation which remains both unclear and uncertain as to the future.  AIL’s current priority is to provide urgently needed assistance to the thousands of displaced families who have flooded into Kabul and Herat. Some centers provide a staging point for aid. Our staff are all working, though offices currently are men only with women working from home. The centers are all female and await instructions from the Taliban with regard to procedures required for reopening centers to our students. Our clinics have expanded their capacity to cope with the large numbers of refugees that are in the area.

The Yacoobi private schools are open and operating under the rules that have been given such as dividing male and female. It is exam season and students are studying hard and sitting their exams as usual. It is a great credit to them and their teachers as everyone has heightened levels of fear, stress and anxiety. The private TV and Radio Meraj are not broadcasting but awaiting instructions in how to recommence and staff are creating content and archiving materials for broadcast at a later date.

We have been touched by the outreach of support and outpouring of donations to help the Afghan people. We thank you for standing by Afghanistan as it faces another humanitarian crisis on top of Covid-19 and drought. 

AIL regularly publishes books and manuals distributing them to Learning Centers and schools. AIL has various teacher training manuals which are kept up to date and are available to its teachers at centers and to anyone who has been trained as a teacher by AIL. Quality teaching is the bedrock of a quality education for a child. AIL provides books to its students whenever possible and through maintaining libraries at centers and schools. 

Thanks for your support.                                           

Learning Centers sometimes hold reading competitions to encourage their students to read more. Students make a presentation on a book explaining it to their classmates and giving their opinion of the merits of the book. The libraries at the center are source of books for students, many of whom will have few books at home.

The Leadership Class, which AIL supports, at the private high schools also have book presentations as a regular event. Sometimes students have free choice of books and other times there is a particular subject matter.  One student said, “I like reading and I like being able to make a presentation about my book to the class. It has made me read more closely and to improve my public speaking ability.”

Thanks for your support.                                           

Covid-19: AIL continues with its relief efforts providing food aid, PPE and running a Covid-19 hospital. All health clinics are operating and Learning Centers and schools are holding classes. Radio Meraj continues to broadcast the latest Covid-19 information.