Help Afghans Learn Computing and Coding

Let’s put our hands together, let’s get together.

Our hands hold our votes and our votes hold our future.

My fellow citizen It’s my vote, it’s your vote

It’s a privilege for enduring peace

My dear fellow citizen, with our vote leadership is in our hands.

             On April 5^th, an historic election was held in Afghanistan. Over 7 million voters participated, and the elections were generally a peaceful affair. We at AIL hosted election workshops leading up to the vote, and asked the managers of our Learning Centers to educate students at the centers about why the vote was important, what steps they needed to take in order to vote, how to research and select candidates, and how to vote.

            The effort to encourage Afghans to vote was not limited to our workshops and Learning Centers however. At a private school owned by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi (our CEO) the Arts and Culture Teacher, Mehrjui, set a poem she had written about the election to music. The song encourages all Afghans to become aware of their responsibilities, to select a good candidate for President and to vote. The PSYPS Arts and Culture students sang this song at a celebration on International Women’s Day as well as at our election workshops. The song was incredibly well received, moving many in the audience.

            The students, staff, and administration at the school quickly realized how powerful their song was, so with the help of the AIL Academic Advisor and the AIL video production team, they set about recording their song so that it could be shared with a wider audience. They had no idea how popular the song was about to become.

            The song quickly went viral, being aired on Afghanistan’s National TV station, as well as on eleven other stations. The song has been played many times over and candidates running for president even asked if they could buy the song to use in their campaign. The PSYPS students and staff declined to sell the song, deciding the purpose of the song was to encourage all Afghans to participate in the elections, not to support just one candidate.

             As Afghanistan moves closer to a runoff election this summer, the song continues to be played on the radio and the video over the airwaves. In short, the song continues to encourage Afghans to participate in the upcoming elections and to make sure their voices are heard.

             We encourage you to take a moment to view the video made by the students, to read the lyrics below and to see the hope in these young people’s faces. After watching, we hope that you will stand with the youth of Afghanistan, and join us as we work with them to create a peaceful future for their nation. 

(Chorus Song)

Let’s put our hands together, let’s get together.

Our hands hold our votes and our votes hold our future.

With one vote, we can be our sultan, our voice

For a better choice for a better leader

My fellow citizen It’s my vote, it’s your vote

It’s a privilege for enduring peace

My dear fellow citizen, with our vote leadership is in our hand

My fellow citizen, stride, my fellow citizen!

With the name of God, we speak from the power of our thoughts

From our decision, unity, humanity and right

No longer speak of suicide bombing, explosion, but of creativity and pride

Don’t speak of the hills under the thorn

Speak of the friendship of verdant soil and the rose garden

Speak of spring, spring and spring

(Narration)

Let’s hope that this spring Afghanistan will turn into a magnificent garden. A garden in which the smell of every rose invites the world for a spectacle.

Let’s hope for a different spring, for a different year and for a different Afghanistan

Don’t forget my fellow citizen, our rendezvous is in front of ballot boxes on April 5, 2014

(Chorus Song)

Our choice is the remedy

Our choice is for the day of rendezvous

Who we want will be crowned sultan

My fellow citizen, stride, my fellow citizen!

Attend the opportunity with passion and turn the enemies into wretches

This colored finger is the guiding path and this fist is the hummer for the oppressor

My fellow citizen, stride, my fellow citizen!

Links:

• Watch the Music Video Made by the Students!!

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your support of our project. Your support has helped the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) to provide computer classes for hundreds of  students. AIL’s computer classes have become know for being high quality, and the graduates of these courses are sought after for well paying jobs. 

While attending the computer and English class at the AIL center, I had to study hard and do my homework, so I went to the public library every day. There I met an old woman; she was the librarian. She found me interesting and hard working, and she suggested that I take the exam to work at the library when I graduated from my AIL courses. After six months of classes, I graduated, passed the library’s exam, and got the job! Now I have been working with in the English and computer sections. I not only earn a good salary, I also get the chance to study my favorite books as often as I like. I help hundreds of young women who come to the library to study English and computer. I have also made many friends. I am so thankful to AIL for these opportunities. 

Another student says:

On the second week of my AIL computer class, my homework assignment was to search for something on the internet. I went to an internet café to do my homework, and I saw so many women using the internet. This gave me the idea to start my own internet café after graduating from the class. I began to learn as much as I could. Once I graduated from the six month long course, I found an investor and opened my own internet café. I have a lot of customers and earn a good salary. In addition, my personality has changed for the better. I am respected in my community and can communicate with people around the world. For example, I now have hundreds of friends on Facebook and I chat with them and share ideas about the issues facing Afghanistan. In fact, I am going to begin taking an online university course soon. Before taking this computer course, I was a cashier in a big supermarket. My salary was not good, and the work was so difficult. Now, I like my job so much more. I thank AIL for teaching me how to use the computer and for giving me the opportunity to make my life more prosperous.

Again, we’d like to thank you for seeing the importance of this project. The men and women taking computer classes at AIL centers are able to turn their education in to well paying jobs to support their families, classes that you made possible. 

Thank you!!