Journey of Hope 2017 journey-of-hope-2017 | Page 17

and unofficial camps surrounding Jalalabad
and Kabul, now twice displaced people.
Joining these returned refugees are a
growing number of internally displaced
people (IDP), who have been forced
from their homes by brutal clashes and
natural disasters. The Internal Displacement
Monitoring Centre (IDMP) reports
more than 1.5 million Afghans are
internally displaced.
The resources to aid in this resettlement
are minimal, and communities are coping
as best they can. International aid organiza-
tions provide food and water and help with
temporary shelters, but the need is des-
perate and support is difficult to maintain.
The communities are bursting at the seams,
and children are missing out on education
— one of the few tools that will help them
create a better life and rebuild their country.
EDUCATION SLIPS THROUGH
THE CRACKS
According to a 2015 study by UNHCR
refugee children are five times more likely
to be out of school than non-refugee chil-
dren. This is stark news for refugees in a
country where 40 percent of its children are
out of school.
With the average length of displacement
at 20 years for refugees across the world, ed-
ucation should be included in necessary aid
packages along with food and water. Leaving
these children without access to school will
create another lost generation, unequipped
with the skills necessary to rebuild their
country and create a sustainable economy.
“Children and youth who access educa-
tion and training are better equipped to con-
tribute to their host communities during
displacement and play their part in the de-
velopment of their country of origin — as
teachers, doctors, engineers or other mem-
bers of the Afghan workforce,” says Caroline
Jenner in a 2015 report for UNHCR.
Refugees in Afghanistan face a multitude
of barriers in reaching education. Poverty,
lack of infrastructure, cultural norms, and
lack of female teachers can deter families
from letting their children, especially girls,
go to school. Some communities are too far
from the nearest school to walk, and with no
transportation many are left at home.
FALL 2017
CAI SEEKS RELIEF
Many of the communities CAI works in
are feeling the strain from this influx of peo-
ple, and new communities are reaching out
to Star of Knowledge (SKO), one of CAI’s
partners in Afghanistan, for help. SKO’s field
managers return from site visits with heart-
breaking stories of unimaginable hardships,
their faces worn and their voices strained
holding back emotion.
Wakil Karimi, director of SKO, recounts
the story of a desperate father who came
knocking on the door to ask for a schol-
arship for his son. The man had returned
When refugees receive
education, they are
better able to contribute
to their communities
and rebuild their home
countries.
from Pakistan where he was a cook with a
good job, but now he can’t find work and
he can’t provide for his family. He stands
on the street and offers to carry luggage
and packages for less than a dollar a day.
The man also has daughters who stud-
ied for free at a local madrasa (religious
school) in Pakistan, but he couldn’t afford
to send them to school here and he didn’t
realize the value of girls’ education.
“I told him bring both son and daugh-
ters. We will help them, both boy and girl
to get education,” says Wakil. “He returned
and said ‘You give life to my children.’ He is
in a bad situation. From the outside people
only tell you 20 percent of their troubles.”
As more refugees squeeze into these
overcrowded cities, villages, and camps
those troubles are becoming increasing-
ly apparent. This spring CAI launched
an emergency campaign to raise $60,000
for tents and school supplies to expand
several schools.
These tents are only temporary fixes
and don’t address the long-term needs of
students including access to more female
teachers and the need for water and toilets.
“The girls they don’t have toilets,” says
Wakil. “Some of them become sick because
they can’t go to the toilets. They can’t go in
front of the other boys and girls. They come
for four hours but they cannot use toilets.”
EDUCATION IS THE
LONG-TERM ANSWER
The average age of Afghan refugees is
15, and the number of refugees pouring
back into the country shows no sign of
slowing. This means the next generation
of potential leaders is in danger of missing
out on developing the skills imperative to
rebuilding a nation.
When refugees receive education, they
are better able to contribute to their com-
munities and rebuild their home countries.
Through education — whether it be sec-
ondary or university, vocational training, or
even quick learning programs — refugees
will learn the skills to create their own solu-
tions, become entrepreneurs, and ultimately
give back to their communities.
Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, the current
Afghan Ambassador to the United States,
is a shining example of the value education
can create for refugees. Ambassador Mohib
fled the Taliban with his family when he
was young and grew up in a refugee camp in
Pakistan. He continued his education, earn-
ing his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in the
United Kingdom.
“Refugee camp schools are an investment
in Afghanistan’s future,” he says. “Educated
children grow up to be far less susceptible
to extremist ideology and far more likely
to become valuable, contributing members
of society. It is imperative that we educate
every Afghan child — no matter where they
live — so that they all can play a positive role
in Afghanistan’s future and contribute to
its development.”
EDUCATION CREATES HOPE
Aside from providing the necessary skills
for the future, schools are also a beacon of
light for these communities who often have
very little hope. Schools become a haven for
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