Bamyan Blog Entry
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Bamyan, a mere 30 minute flight from Kabul, seems worlds apart from the car choked streets of Afghanistan's capital city. The Hindu Kush Mountains quickly dominate the view from my tiny window while the dusty valley of Kabul shrinks away into the horizon. As we bump along the air currents and I grab my camera in anticipation of even more stunning views, I am overcome with glee. My mind wanders back to an incident earlier this year. During a teacher training workshop I was conducting in Bangladesh, a famous journalist who has criss-crossed most of the globe (120 countries and counting) happened to be our dinner guest. When my trainees pressed him to name the prettiest place in the world, he paused for a few seconds and then said, much to our surprise, "Afghanistan is easily one of the most amazing places on Earth." Four months later, with sandstone cliffs, snow-capped peaks, and lush green valleys sprawling thousands of feet beneath me, I instantly agree. Bamyan is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, the state of education in this extremely isolated sanctuary—home of the Hazara culture and a relatively peaceful environment—is anything but pretty. With widespread poverty, a sever lack of female teachers, inadequate and unhygienic facilities for schools, extreme isolation from village to village, and a brutal winter season, Bamyan is in stark contrast to the saturation of resources available in Kabul. These are some of the reasons that Save the Children has programs in this region.
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Abdollah, from Save the Children Japan, greets me on the dirt road that serves as tarmac for the tiny UN planes that occasionally land here. I become slightly envious that my colleague has this panorama to greet him each day. Just being here boosts my mood and energy. We make our way to the simple guesthouse and feast on what will be our daily staple—Afghan naan (flat bread) and a humble assortment of packaged cream cheese and jelly. Luckily, fresh grapes (which seem to grow in abundance everywhere in Afghanistan) and piping hot green tea round off the meal. I am told that we can shower every third day and that the lights go out at nine each night. I settle into the routine and come to appreciate the most restful sleep I have had in years. I also realize immediately that it is much colder here at night than in Kabul, and I relish taking my first Bamyan shower with water heated through an old-fashioned wood-burning bukhari (furnace) right inside the room. I gladly risk carbon monoxide poisoning for the luxury of feeling clean and warm.
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The next day Abdollah takes me four hours north along a treacherous road that requires four-wheel drive and a strong stomach. It feels like I am in the back of beyond, a place so isolated that village life seems to continue as it has for centuries. It is here in Saighan District where the real Save the Children action is. After some reassurance that I am a good, honorable guy, a young teacher allows us to enter the home-based girls' literacy class. I am welcomed by 12 shy smiles from girls who range in age from eight to 14. They eagerly answer dictation questions and demonstrate the skills they have learned by writing sentences and solving math problems on the makeshift chalkboard. I ask the girls if they have noticed any difference in their literacy and numeracy abilities. They respond in unison that they are thrilled to be able to read and share their newly learned skills with family members. Most of the girls hope to enter school next year and join their peers in the 3rd grade, which is exactly what this accelerated literacy program is designed to do. The oldest two girls in the group want to improve their skills so they can help their family in business opportunities.
With nationwide female literacy at a meager 13% (according to UNICEF), and a severe shortage of qualified female teachers, there is an alarming need to have high quality intervention programs, like ours, to address the impediments to girls' education.
We also visit the community school adjacent to the literacy class. I meet several excited children who have benefited from Save the Children materials and activities. Although the school is basically a combination of tents, it is clear that the students who attend are proud to be there and are enthusiastic about learning.
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In the coming months, Save the Children Alliance members have plans to co-manage more formal and informal education programs in Bamyan and continue to support isolated communities by increasing their access to quality education.
Before heading back to Kabul, Inger and Lailoma from Save the Children Sweden / Norway invite me to attend the opening ceremony of a teacher resource center funded by Save the Children. The Provincial Education Director and the elders of the community attend to express their support for the center. Children from all over the region have come to witness this important occasion. They sing traditional songs and wear their best clothes.
As I wave goodbye and prepare to return to my home in Kabul, I feel inspired that we are making a real, lasting difference in the lives of the children. As the new Better Education, Better Future coordinator I look forward to seeing all of our impact areas and forging stronger linkages between all of the Save the Children offices.
