Afghanistan: A Community-Supported Literacy and Health Training Program for 1,700 Women Thrives in Qarabagh District of Ghazni Province

Kabul- A Community Action Group in a highly insecure region of Afghanistan supports integrated literacy and health classes that have trained 1,700 women and girls. With training from Future Generations Afghanistan and support from the Canada Fund and Flora Family Foundation, this local action group in Qarabagh District of Ghazni Province acts as an effective interface between the community and the Afghanistan of Ministry of Education.

The Community Action Group has played a key role in identifying local needs, recruiting students, teachers, and other volunteers, monitoring progress, and resolving conflicts. On many occasions, they have negotiated with insurgency forces and have refused to compromise on the value of education for women and girls.

News of the success of literacy and health classes in Qarabagh has spread to other communities and districts that want similar services. In Qarabagh, the Community Action Group seeks to expand its own educational programs; it is negotiating with local authorities, the district governor, provincial governor, and the local education department for more funding and assistance.

According to Afghanistan Country Director, Aziz Hakimi, “supporting local groups like this is key to building peace in Afghanistan. If communities can gain power and resources, they will sustain these essential community services.”  

The Afghan government is now in a better position to strengthen these community-based learning efforts. Recently, a new Ministry of Literacy has been created to coordinate literacy classes in the rural countryside.

The Qarabagh-integrated literacy and health training program has been recognized by both communities and local authorities in the province and at the national level as an effective way to provide educational services in one of the most insecure districts in Ghazni Province.

For more information:
Director of Communications, Traci Hickson, traci@future.org ph. 304.358.2000
Country Director of Future Generations Afghanistan, Aziz Hakimi, aziz@future.org

Future Generations Afghanistan is a registered non-profit organization in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The organizational mission is to strengthen the resourcefulness of communities, ensure community ownership, and promote partnerships with government for a secure, equitable, and sustained future. Afghanistan Country Director Aziz Hakimi provides distinguished experience and strong program leadership to bridge the realms of government, media, business, and development to strengthen and raise the voice and will of the Afghan people. As former Director of Public Information and Civic Education for the Constitutional Commission of Afghanistan, he organized public support and involvement in the national Loya Jirga and the successful adoption of the Afghan Constitution. Other previous positions include Deputy Director of the policy management unit in the Office of the President and as a human rights officer with the United Nations offices in Pakistan and Afghanistan.