Many of you have written to ask how CAI is navigating this new reality . A recent email from one of our long-time donors , Jean K ., echoes many of these questions and concerns . Jean writes , “ I would love to have a sort of bulletin from you dealing with how you have had to change your programs to reflect the Taliban ' s return to the power it had before the whole thing blew up .”
As we shared with Jean , thankfully , CAI has been able to overcome enormous challenges , and today provides education for Afghan boys and girls . At present , we support primary school education through Grade 6 with close to 8,000 children , including 5,388 girls , enrolled in CAI community primary schools . Our goal is to get as many children as possible , especially girls , to a level where they can read , write , and do basic math . With more than half of Afghan children out of school , we feel we cannot give up on this next generation of Afghan children . They are , after all , their country ’ s best hope for a better future .
At present , CAI community schools also provide training and salaries for 264 teachers , 192 of whom are women . Teachers have been especially grateful that we have continued our support given soaring poverty and unemployment rates .
We have , however , had to modify our programs . Tragically , the Taliban has not lifted its ban on education for older girls Grade 7 and above despite enormous pressure from the U . S . and other western governments . While initially we were reaching older girls in smaller groups through private tutors , the Taliban shut down those activities .
Currently , work opportunities for women also remain limited as the Taliban has prohibited women from going to office jobs or working outside the home . Even women ’ s beauty parlors were ordered closed . But women are still allowed to work in certain sectors including as teachers and medical professionals , and in industries such as agriculture and handicrafts like carpet weaving and sewing , as long as they are not working alongside men who aren ' t their immediate family members . In addition to our ongoing support for female teachers , CAI is currently exploring how we might support older girls and women to work in these sectors .
It is true that to work in these areas has risks . But at the end of day , what drives us is knowing that , despite the beliefs of the Taliban ’ s top leaders that females are mere chattels who should remain ignorant and locked up at home , the vast majority of Afghans , including in rural areas , support women ’ s education . i
CAI has been working in Afghanistan for over two decades and even today , we cannot meet the demand for schools . In fact , it is the communities themselves that play a key role in setting up and managing our schools . This includes donating the space to hold classes and selecting members of the community to help manage the school . These School Management Committees ( SMCs ) receive training from CAI and are formally charged with helping to recruit teachers , ensure students attend , monitor student and teacher performance , and intervene when issues arise . For example , there have been instances in which local Talibs have tried to intimidate families into withdrawing their girls from school or shut down our schools altogether . In these cases , the communities themselves , through the SMCs , have pushed back . So far this has proven successful in every instance .
" The presence of a female teacher within our community has refreshed our hopes for the future and established a strong foundation that motivates us for further growth . Girls in our community are proficient in reading and writing and display enthusiasm for their future endeavors . Furthermore , community elders are mobilized and recognize the importance of girls ' education , actively advocating for it unlike before .” - Mrs . Ramela , a 30-year-old teacher in Mochekan , a remote and mountainous village in the Versaj District of Takhar province . i
Results of a 2019 survey by the Asia Foundation indicate strong public support for women ’ s education ( 86.6 %) as well as women working outside the home ( 76 %). “ A Survey of the Afghan People – 2019 ,” https :// reliefweb . int / report / afghanistan / survey-afghan-people-afghanistan-2019 .
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