Partnership for the Education of Children in Afghanistan
Building Peace, One School at a Time
Khost Province School
Mandozai District, Khost Province, Afghanistan
The Partnership for Education of Children in Afghanistan (P.E.C.A.) has chosen the rural province of Khost as the location for a new school. Khost is a neglected, less secure area that desperately needs the benefit of education for its youth. Most assistance for education in Afghanistan is given to schools in the capital city of Kabul and in other urban areas. P.E.C.A. supports community efforts in rural districts to enlighten the minds of their young people.
The Darnamia Girls School provides schooling for 350+ girls. The curriculum is set by the Afghan government and includes social sciences, sciences, math, English, and the two Afghan national languages - Dari and Pashto.
For security, the school is guarded by armed guards 24 hours a day and we have commitment from the community leaders to ensure that the Taliban are not made welcome. Additionally transportation is provided to girls in 7th grade and higher.
The school has enough rooms for all of its classes, has 10 bathrooms and a playground. There are also administration rooms, a storage room and a guard room.
It is hard to believe - the above are BEFORE and AFTER pictures!! The land and the buildings were donated to P.E.C.A by the community, and with our donors help it turned from absolute destruction to something that is of pride to the community!!
Community Profile of Darnami Girls' School of Mandozai District
Khost Province, Afghanistan
Location: The city of Khost, capital of Khost province, is 222 kilometers (138 miles) southeast of Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul. Mandozai is a rural district in Khost province located 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of the city of Khost. This district is also known at Ismail Khel. The district is named for the two tribes that live there.
General Population: The population of the Mandozai District has been estimated at 100,000, with 40% being under the age of 18. The literacy rate among men is 20%, and among women is 3%.
BREAKING NEWS!!
As we wait for pictures, we want to share some more news with you!! One of the cornerstones in our approach to security is to make our school something that also gives back to the community. Access to health care, specially for girls, is very poor in Khost. We now have a small clinic in our school, and it is staffed with a mid-wife that works 20 hours a week. She conducts basic check-ups, has authorization to give out basic medicines such as mild pain-killers, makes sure that vaccines are up to date, and refers more serious cases to a more established full-scale clinic.
Our community leaders prioritize our expenses and for years easy access to water has come second to access to education. Now that we have met the basic demands for education, such as classrooms and teachers, we are now digging a well. Khost is a very rocky place and the well-diggers went down to 160 meters before finding good clean water - YEAH!! The second part of this effort has begun - installation of generators, pumps and pipes - as we know more, we will keep you posted!!
