Schools, Hospitals Destroyed in Cross Border Shellings August 4, 2011
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A recent article in the Wall Street Journal sheds light on artillery shellings being fired across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border into Afghan villages by the Pakistani Military.
As the article points out, Pakistan may be feeling increased pressure to intensify its war on terrorism in light of the U.S. led killing of Osama bin Laden in May. Indeed, Pakistan states that the shellings are a necessary component of their fight against home grown Taliban insurgents.
Still, others see the border violence quite differently. The United Nations estimates that around 12,000 civilians have fled border villages since mid-June. “Afghans are fleeing village by village. The shelling started in January, picked up in the spring and intensified in June with entire towns destroyed,” stated the head of the office for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar and Nangahar.
For their part, Afghan officials claim that 800 rockets have been launched across the border in the past month. More personal accounts are provided by villagers themselves, such as Khan Wali from Kunar province. “The shelling started in the morning, killing two children in our village and forcing the rest of us to flee….Our village is deserted since 20 days ago…”
Sadly, collateral damage involving civilians is a standard feature of major wars such as the war in Afghanistan. In seeking their broader objectives, world powers often inadvertently inflict a great deal of damage upon the nation in which a war is being waged. Not only does this collateral damage manifest itself in the form of death, but also in terms of physical and psychological injury as well as demolished homes, schools and hospitals for those who survive.
Despite their broader role in the war, the foreign powers leading the war are offering little assistance to local governments in regard to the recent border shellings. “We have contacted coalition forces several times, but we haven’t seen any cooperation from them,” stated Wasifullah Wasefi, the Kunar governor’s spokesman.
The leader of coalition forces, the U.S., is staying out of the situation altogether, stating that it is a situation between Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, in order for the situation on the ground to change, all three governments must get on the same page. Their inability to do so is further illustrated by the recent comments of this, Pakistani Lt. Gen. Asif Yasin Malik, the commander for the Northwest, that Pakistan has repeatedly asked for better U.S. and Afghan cooperation in securing the border from militant threats. Furthermore, the U.S. has pulled out of Nuristan and parts of Kunar in the last two years, allowing Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda to gain stronger footholds in those regions, and meaning that Pakistan has reason to be engaging in cross border operations.
-Ashish Malhotra
Cambridge Students Raise Money and Awareness for Barakat July 13, 2011
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Outreach and awareness raising efforts are vital to Barakat’s mission. During the month of June, students at Prospect Hill Academy, a charter high school in Cambridge, have stepped up to this challenge by raising money for Barakat and spreading the word about the importance of supporting girls’ education in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The students spent several weeks brainstorming and communicating with Barakat directly in order to identify creative and strategic ways in which to support the organization. Eventually the students sold wristbands, scarves, ice cream, and popsicles at events both within and outside of their school. The students also supplied donation boxes to local businesses such as Bird by Bird, a children’s clothing boutique in Inman Square and Gather Here and Make Something, a fabric and sewing boutique in mid-Cambridge.
Awareness efforts complemented sales, as students handed out pamphlets and booklets on Barakat’s work. The students also put together an impressive video about Barakat to show at a final presentation to their peers, teachers, and Barakat representatives. To date, the students have raised over $1000 dollars through their efforts.
The donation boxes made by the students from Prospect Hill Academy
Working with Barakat was part of the students’ Enrichment Term project at Prospect Hill Academy. The three-week term in June is designed to give sophomore, junior and senior students a rewarding service experience with an organization that allows them to apply academic skills to the real world.
The goal of this laudable program is clearly being met, as the students have all found it incredibly invaluable to their academic experience at Prospect Hill. “I feel that Barakat is an excellent organization that taught me a lot about responsibilities and education,” commented Alejandra Brito, one of the students enrolled in Enrichment Term.
One of her peers, Ylana Jenkins, echoed those sentiments. “Barakat taught me how to work with my peers better, be responsible about money, and also be more productive to reach a goal in a certain period of time.”
Beyond acquiring fund raising and communication skills, the students at Prospect Hill learned about the deep complexities surrounding the issue of education in South and Central Asia, especially pertaining to females. In their presentation they focused heavily on the significance of their project. “Not everyone has the same kind of access to education and having an education dramatically affects the quality of your life.”
The experience has also made the students such as Dimitri Jean value what they have.
“I enjoyed working with Barakat because it helped me understand more about education and about girls in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India and how much they appreciate education. It also showed me how to appreciate my education because I know that I am lucky for what I have,“ he reflected.
-Ashish Malhotra
Barakat on Groupon! June 14, 2011
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We are excited about Barakat’s new partnership with Groupon that will benefit women and girls in our literacy courses in Afghanistan. From Tuesday, June 14th until Thursday, June 16th, you can support our literacy courses by making a donation and spreading the word.
Donations can be made in denominations of $10. Only if $480 is raised will we reach the Groupon “tipping point” meaning 100% of the proceeds will go to Barakat. Groupon’s “tipping point” is a concept that is part of it’s philosophy to inspire collective action, showing that big things can be achieved when many individuals work together towards a common goal.
The tipping point of $480 means that we need 48 donations for this campaign to successfully fund a 10-month home based literacy course for 12 Afghan women. However, individuals are of course welcome and encouraged to make multiple donations of $10. Every $40 raised will educate one more girl in our literacy program. Just $40 can have a huge impact on a girl’s life!
This course provides a free, third-grade education to women who were previously unable to attend school due to financial, familial or governmental restrictions. For example, many of these women were banned from school during the rule of the Taliban. In contrast, after completing our course, they will be able to enroll in a formal school at a fourth-grade level.
The United Nations estimates that the literacy rate amongst rural Afghan women is a lowly 8%. Barakat’s literacy courses target girls and women between the ages of 7 years and 55 years in the two adjoining northwestern Afghan provinces of Faryab and Jowzjan. Participants are young girls, teenagers, and women who are single or married, with or without children.
Since 2003, 3,795 women and girls have graduated from our programs in Afghanistan with literacy and numeracy skills. In recent years we have enrolled an annual average of 800 women in 30 literacy courses.
The fruits of such literacy programs extend far beyond just the women who are enrolled in them. Mothers who have had some education are more than twice as likely to send their children to school, compared to mothers with no education. Children born to literate mothers also have 40% higher survival rates and better overall health and nourishment.
As a result of their far-reaching benefits, there is a burgeoning demand for our literacy courses. In seeing the benefits education can provide, families are beginning to shed their previously held dispositions to limit the education of their daughters. It is therefore especially crucial for us to create as many courses as possible to meet the existing demand, and to help as many women as we can.
You can help us in this cause by participating in our campaign with Groupon from Tuesday, June 14 until Thursday, June 16. You will be able to find the campaign at the Groupon Boston website, at the bottom of the page on the right-hand side.
We hope you will support our cause by donating here and by spreading the word to your friends, family and colleagues!
Barakat is Partnering with Groupon! June 9, 2011
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Barakat is partnering with Groupon soon in a campaign to support our literacy program in Afghanistan.
The G-Team at Groupon works to connect its subscribers to philanthropic causes such as ours as part of its broader philosophy to inspire collective action, and demonstrate that big things can be achieved when many individuals work together towards a common goal.
Subscribe to Groupon Boston to take part in this campaign and stay tuned for more information!
Polio in Pakistan March 24, 2011
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Over the past two decades, polio has been reduced by 99 percent around the world. Today, it remains endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. While three of these countries are making tremendous progress to eliminate the disease, Pakistan is seeing a rise in infection rates. Last year there were 144 registered polio cases, the highest number since 2000.
Children in Pakistan receive polio vaccines. Photo credit: Ground Report.
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, stressed the importance of polio eradication in his third annual letter released earlier this year. Polio is an infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can lead to permanent paralysis. It can also be prevented by vaccinations.
“Getting rid of polio will mean that no child will be paralyzed or die by this disease,” wrote Gates. “Any major advance in the human condition requires resolve and courageous leadership. We are so close, but we have to finish the last leg of the journey.”
In January, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari launched a National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication, a formal plan to eliminate polio in the country. Shortly afterwards, Gates and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi each pledged $50 million to help polio vaccines reach 32 million children in Pakistan.
“Vaccines protect children from many life-threatening childhood diseases, providing the best way to give a child a healthy start to life,” said Gates. “This partnership is a powerful example of how collaboration by the global community can help build a healthier, more stable future for Pakistani children, their families and communities.”
The benefits of immunizing more children go beyond preventing the spread of polio. A recent study by the non-profit organization Kid Risk estimated that polio eradication could save the world up to $50 billion in reduced treatment costs and productivity gains.
“If societies can’t provide for people’s basic health, if they can’t feed and educate people, then their populations and problems will grow and the world will be a less stable place,” Gates wrote. “Whether you believe it a moral imperative or in the rich world’s enlightened self-interest, securing the conditions that will lead to a healthy, prosperous future for everyone is a goal I believe we all share.”
Afghan Brick Workers March 22, 2011
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A recent article by the New York Times on indentured servitude in the brick-making industry in Afghanistan highlights the crushing cycle of poverty many families are caught in. For kiln workers with limited skills, the only way to take out a loan is to use their manual labor and that of future generations as collateral. This system unfortunately traps the workers when they are forced to borrow from their employers, who do not pay them enough to settle their debts.
Afghan children who do not attend school can end up working 12 hours a day
For Zar Mohammad the situation is particularly bleak. After taking out a loan to pay for his marriage, he “realized that his weekly earnings in the kiln left little or no money to pay down the principal. As his family grew, he found himself having to borrow more money” and he saw his debt increase each year.
According to the article, Mohammad and his four sons are paid $10 for a day’s labor—roughly 2,500 bricks. The kiln owners can sell this amount of bricks for up to $160. The owners say they are helping the families of kiln workers, noting that many were stranded as refugees in Pakistan and that employees are usually provided with “houses, electricity, beds, blankets, water and cash for workers’ family expenses” in addition to further loans for emergencies. For the workers, however, this situation perpetuates their problems as they live lives of great poverty and hardship but still have enough to lose if they choose to stand up to their employers.
The predicament faced by these workers is symptomatic of larger problems related to economic development and poverty. While Mohammad and his children may have to endure terrible circumstances, the job does provide a much needed income. The District Governor of Surkhrod, when interviewed for this article, said, “I know this is not good for kids, but we have to build our buildings [and] our country”. Sarah Crowe, UNICEF’s regional communication director for South Asia offers a similar gloomy assessment of the costs and benefits of child labor in the brick making industry, pointing out that it offers supplemental income for the family.
Unfortunately, while education offers one of the few opportunities to break the chains of poverty for families and communities, the decision to invest in the long-term benefits of education over short-term survival needs is a hard and life-changing one. Thus, without support and economic assistance and the opportunity to learn, Zar Mohammad’s 8-year-old son Neyaz will have to continue beginning his twelve-hour workday before dawn as he makes the bricks that are rebuilding Afghanistan. While the world may be tough on him, Neyaz continues to dream big. He says, “I want to go to school and to become a doctor to serve my people and my country.”
-Faris Islam
Investing in Girls March 8, 2011
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Today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.” Barakat operates schools and literacy courses for women and girls in South Asia, believing that equal access to education is crucial to reducing poverty in the region.
In many parts of the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, girls are less likely than boys to attend school, be vaccinated, or see a doctor. A recent TIME essay discussed the importance of investing in girls in the global fight against poverty. “Investment in girls’ education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world,” wrote Larry Summers while serving as chief economist at the World Bank.
Girls who attend school for at least seven years typically earn higher wages, marry later, and have fewer children than those with less education. Fewer dependents per worker leads to greater economic growth. Women are also more likely than men to reinvest their income in their families, buying things like books, medicine, and malaria nets.
Development experts say part of the solution involves providing girls with access to schools and health clinics with programs designed specifically for them. Helping girls realize their potential will require the support of entire communities, including mothers, fathers, teachers, and religious leaders.
Barakat has witnessed the vital role of supportive family members in our initiatives such as the Girls Scholarship Program in Pakistan. Scholarship recipient Surayya has four siblings. Her father is a carpet weaver and her mother is a tailor. She says, “My father wishes that all of his children get an education, but due to lack of funds he cannot afford our studies.” Surayya is fortunate to have parents that support her education rather than sending her to work, and with a Barakat scholarship she can continue her studies. “Education is not necessary for males only,” says Surayya. “I want to be a well-aware Afghan girl who is able to understand her rights.”
American girls are also getting involved in this cause. High school girls in the Boston area have held fundraisers for Barakat’s Girls Scholarship Program to support students like Surayya. The United Nations Foundation has started a campaign called Girl Up, which encourages American girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to give a “High Five” to girls in developing countries by donating $5 to provide school supplies, health check-ups, and more. Actions like these display how the next generation of leaders is already making progress to improve the lives of girls around the world.
Women’s Rights in Afghanistan March 1, 2011
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The government of Afghanistan wants to take control of shelters for abused women, accusing the organizations currently running them of corruption and misuse of funds. The Afghan Women’s Network, a coalition of human rights groups, has strongly denied these allegations. Pressure from the international community may convince the Afghan government to change its mind.
The United States has expressed concern over the plan. “While we recognize that the government needs to monitor shelters, it is important that civil society be allowed to operate these facilities independently,” read a statement by the US State Department.
Activists in Afghanistan have protested the move as well, saying state-run shelters could put women’s lives at greater risk. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, has demanded that women be included in the decision-making process in Afghanistan. “Peace cannot happen without respect for human rights and of course participation of women as half the population. We need to recognize women’s existence and include them in all the policies,” said Samar.
“People are not educated,” said Huma Safi, program director at Women for Afghan Women, which runs several shelters. “If women and men knew their rights in Islam and Afghan civil law, then we wouldn’t have violence.”
Teachers at a training workshop
This controversy demonstrates the powerful impact that Barakat’s Teacher Training Workshops for Human Rights can have on Afghans. Educating teachers about human rights, and in particular the rights of women, is the most effective means of spreading knowledge to the community and the next generation of voters in Afghanistan.
About 180 teachers attended nine Barakat workshops this school year, including 85 women. Afghanistan Country Director Aaq Mohammad said, “All the participants expressed that they have learned that human rights are really urgent for society.” As more people in Afghanistan become educated about women’s rights, the country will be able to make progress towards greater gender equality.
Rising Malnutrition in Pakistan January 31, 2011
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UNICEF announced on Friday that survivors of last year’s deadly floods in Pakistan are now facing another tragedy as rates of malnourishment in children are skyrocketing in affected areas. According to a report in Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, “six months on from Pakistan’s deadly floods, nearly a quarter of children in the worst-hit province of Sindh remain acutely malnourished.” According to the government of Sindh, this amounts to 90,000 children between the ages of six months and five years.
Children in the flooded region of Pakistan
These malnourished children are a symptom of a larger problem – to provide relief to the 20 million people affected by the floods. The UN issued a call for $2 billion in emergency relief in September but has only raised about half that amount so far. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Rauf Engin Soysal, the UN’s Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan said that only 39 percent of early recovery projects have been funded, adding that the remaining billion dollars in relief is “urgently needed.”
While the initial fear of waterborne diseases may have faded, new crises now loom. With 1.7 million homes damaged and 5.4 million acres of arable land affected, getting the country’s agricultural sector back on track is a priority. To that end, Soysal announced that the UN was “providing them [farmers] with seeds, fertilizers and tool to accelerate the rehabilitation process.” As this process continues, seven million people remain dependent on monthly food rations to survive.
This announcement will hopefully refocus international attention on the need for a sustained commitment to Pakistan. With the country’s own government facing massive budgetary shortfalls and the international community struggling to respond to more and more disasters in a time of less and less money, the onus falls on common citizens of all countries to step in and extend a sorely-needed hand of friendship to their Pakistani brethren.
-Faris Islam
Taliban and Women’s Education January 20, 2011
Posted by barakatinc in Afghanistan, Education.Tags: Afghanistan, Education, Taliban
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Afghan education minister Farooq Wardak has said a paradigm shift may be coming in the battle for women’s education, telling the media recently that the Taliban had undergone a “cultural change” and decided to end their opposition to girls’ education in the country. While Wardak is close to Afghan President Hamid Karzai – and involved in reconciliation talks with the Taliban – members of the militant group have not confirmed his statement.
Girls attend computer class at a Barakat school in Afghanistan
Indeed, even within the Taliban it appears there are contrasting views on the issue, with the Taliban’s former Ambassador to Islamabad, Mullah Zaeef, telling the BBC that the ban imposed by the Taliban was “a temporary measure” due to the group’s disapproval of co-education and of male teachers teaching women. In addition to the Taliban, others in Afghan society have also opposed educating women for various reasons. As the education minister said, “In the deepest pockets of our society, not only the Taliban, there was not very friendly behavior towards education.”
Beyond these cultural obstacles identified by the minister, millions of Afghans who brave violence and tackle prejudices to send their children to school, face even more challenges. With the country ranked amongst the world’s poorest and still recovering from thirty years of conflict and war, schools are struggling to make ends meet and provide a quality education to their students.
Despite the hardships, Afghans of all ethnic groups – including parents of Barakat students – are determined to provide their children with previously unimaginable opportunities through the power of education. As Wardak went on to say, “During the Taliban era the percentage of girls of the one million students that we had was zero percent. The percent of female teachers was zero percent… today 38 % of our students and 30 % of our teachers are female.” Hopefully, with the minister’s announcement, Afghanistan can look forward to these numbers rising in years to come.
-Faris Islam
