By Stephanie Schrempft | Public Health Specialist
Tens of thousands of children work on the streets in Kabul, Afghanistan.They often work in unsafe environments, face abuse and crime, are exposed to the illegal drugs trade, and experience workplace injuries and security threats.
The needs of street children are overshadowed by the dire economic and security situation in Afghanistan. The country is in the midst of a prolonged recession, and many children have lost their fathers to the conflict. They have no choice but to work to provide for their family.
Street children are a vulnerable demographic in need of protection. They also need to have their voices heard and their rights upheld. Our school continues to protect and empower street children by providing them with an education in addition to food and basic health care.
There are now 63 children enrolled in our school, split in 2 classrooms, based on ability rather than age. The children attend school 5 days per week from 11.30 to 15.00 where they learn basic numeracy and literacy (in Dari, the local language), do art and crafts, and receive a warm lunch. Thanks to our partnership with UEFA, we have now rented a football pitch and hired a football coach to allow 40 children (20 boys and 20 girls) to play football once per week. Currently, we have a coordinator, 2 trainers (who also work as street workers to recruit children into the school), a cook, and a football coach working at the school.
In May, we started a collaboration with Mobile School, an organization that develops mobile school carts and educational materials and trains local street workers to increase the efficiency of the outreach work done on the streets. By becoming part of a global network of mobile schools around the world, we can share knowledge, experiences, and best practices. By bringing the school to the streets, we can recruit harder-to-reach children.
We would like to thank you again for supporting our school. Please share the details of our project with your friends and family. Attending the school improves the day-to-day lives of street children, and gives them hope for the future.
Warm regards,
The team at AfD
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