Journey of Hope 2017 journey-of-hope-2017 | Page 18

children who can focus on learning in safe
spaces, and they offer a sense of security for
parents who don’t want their children to
stay in the cycle of poverty.
“Now the children are coming to the
schools,” says Asadullah Azimi, one of
SKO’s field managers. “They love to study
because they know about the importance
of knowledge. They get knowledge because
they know it will be the future.”
The desire for education continues to
grow, even as conditions become more
difficult and government schools are
overwhelmed. Teachers continue to teach,
even as their numbers of students grow
into the hundreds. Students show up to
class with notebooks ready, even though
they may not have access to water or toilets,
and parents continue to send their children
even though they have little resources. Their
determination is unwavering.
“They want education, even more than
food,” says Asadullah. “At one school a
nine-year-old girl asked the field supervi-
sor to write a note. She said, bring this to
your boss. We need tents, notebooks, pens.
Just nine years old, and she was inspired
for education.”
CAI and SKO are bracing for the next
wave of displaced people to arrive in the
surrounding villages. It will be imperative
to continue assessing needs as they grow
and implementing the necessary strategy
to keep children in school whether through
Quick Learning Centers to help students
catch up on lessons they missed, vocational
centers to teach them trade skills, expanding
primary and secondary options, or helping
with access to sanitation and clean water.
The path to education is unclear and
constantly changing, but the destination
remains the same. Creating access to edu-
cation for refugee populations can lead to
long-term stability, a new economy, and a
generation that will rebuild Afghanistan. n
Athan Mavrantonis and #VizForSocialGood
16 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE