Schools
Please build us Schools!
We want to Learn Something!
Many children in Afghanistan long to be able to go to school and learn. The vast majority of Afghans are unable to read or write, this especially applies to women and girls. Shelter Now is building schools for girls and boys...
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"Build us schools finally - we wanna learn!" That was the cry that one of our staff members got to hear repeatedly as he said goodbye to the children in a village north of Kabul. It was at a time when he was discussing plans with village elders to build a girls' school. Shelter Now has long been building schools, starting in the refugee camps in Pakistan. Education is a basic human right, that should be available to all children no matter where they live in the world. In Afghanistan it is also vital if the country's fledgling democracy is to be stabilized long-term. The schoolchildren - both girls and boys - are highly motivated. They know that they can only earn money in the future if they have been to school or have had some kind of training. When we ask them what they want to do when they grow up, they often say things like: "Pilot, engineer, doctor, lawyer, university teacher or even President"
Building of Schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan
"Please build us schools! We want to learn something!" Many children in Afghanistan long to be able to go to school and learn. The vast majority of Afghans are unable to read or write, this especially applies to women and girls. Shelter Now has built schools for girls and boys...
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Especially important: schools for girls
The children and young people learn reading, writing and Math with enthusiasm. Some come together in the afternoons as well, forming voluntary learning groups. The first school that Shelter Now built in the Shamalie area was soon attended by a 1,000 students and became too small. Another problem - there are twice as many boys in the school as girls. The reason for this imbalance is that the girls often have to pass a neighboring village in order to get to the school - and many parents are not prepared to allow that. So we need to build another school just for girls directly in their village.
20 new schools for the earthquake zone in northern Pakistan
Thousands of schools were destroyed in the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005. Many schoolchildren were killed, and many others injured. In an ambitious 3-year project, Shelter Now is planning to build around one hundred new schools.
These schools were built in the districts highly afected districts: Battagream, Mansehra, Kohistan and Kashmere. Many children suffer under physical injuries permanently caused by the quake. Our schools are barrier-free. The handycapped students are especially on our hearts, because in Asian countries, similar to other parts of the world, these are close to the edge of their society and don't have good chances to get a job. But if they receive a good education and vocational training, they will be able to get their own income and have a self-determined life.
Many students still have to learn outside.
One of 20 earthquake-resistant schools
At least 70 children lost their life in this school
Many students still have to learn outside.
Maintaining a School
The slide is the most popular playground equipment. But regrettably thus far the only...
For some years SNI has been providing funds for the slaries and stationary for a primary school.
In a poor area of Kabul we're maintaining a primary school with about 60 girls and 60 boys. Their parents could not afford a private school normally. The teachers are very committed and arrange their lessons more creative than it's usually done in Afghanistan. In most of the schools students learn only by repeating like a choir what the teacher says...
The students of our Helping Hands School come from different ethnic backgrounds. It's great fun to watch the kids learning avidly or playing merrily in the schoolyard.
