Afghan Institute of Learning

An incredible story showcasing what Afghans are really capable of when given a chance to create education and a better life for their communities, by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi:

By 2001, the Afghan Institute of Learning was supporting 80 underground home schools for 3,000 girls in four provinces of Afghanistan. Most students were in the first through third grade but some schools had students up to the eighth grade. With the fall of the Taliban and the lifting of the ban against education for girls, by the end of 2002 all of the home schools had closed because the students were either attending government public schools or studying in our newly opened Women’s Learning Centers, and their teachers were back teaching in public schools.

That is the courage of the girls, their families, their teachers and their communities. These girls were very bright. They wanted to learn so much, and their families and teachers wanted to learn, as well, so they found creative ways to make sure that the schools could continue and the girls could be safe. No school was ever discovered and closed. There were close calls, like the day that soldiers were positioned on every corner of one of the cities after the girls had gone to the home of their teacher. The brothers of the girls diverted the attention of the soldiers so that two by two the girls could slip out of the house and go safely home.

Fourteen years later, these educated girls, from the refugee camps and from the underground schools, are now in universities.

Read the full article at http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2010winter/2010winter_Yacoobi.php