Life is a confused entanglement here. And ultimately it is all about survival. Many people may be hedging their bets that we will leave & so they want to be in favour of extremist groups so if they come back into power they will be in good standing. For people like at Aschiana that want legitimate change they are gambling that we will stand by the people of Afghanistan for the long haul and in fact they are risking their lives for it. If the Taliban were to come back into power they would have to leave Afghanistan or it would mean certain imprisonment or death simply for teaching girls.
Many Afghan families and girls who refuse to give way to people who want to keep the country repressed. These children many of them girls that are risking their lives to learn it is staggering. Compared to their lives, mine is safe. At the end of the month I’m coming home, these people are mired in this for the foreseeable future. I saw Romeo D’Allaire speak last year & he pointed out that Canadians helped France in WW II for instance not because there is any benefit to us but because it was the right thing to do..
The group that I am working with, Aschiana is a very organized group for a smaller NGO. Literacy rates are very low in Afghanistan about 28% and only 12% for females: I marvel at the bravery that these people have in promoting education, something that we take for granted back home, literally risking their lives to teach children how to read & write. They do this despite the risk like the acid attack on girls walking to schools like what happened in Kandahar. At the risk of their schools being bombed by radical forces. Notwithstanding increasing threats from the radicals, enrolment in the Aschiana girls’ classes is rising. some brave Afghan teachers are actually using in her home to teach students. Aschiana works with street kids & war orphans in Kabul providing education for them & entry into schools. Although they have offices Throughout Afghanistan & are helping 5000 children there are 60 000 orphans in Kabul alone! This is their website
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