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Experiencing Education
Islamic Relief's Education Projects Give Hope to Children Around the World

Education provides the key to a better future, helping people fulfill their potential and pursue their goals in life. For millions of people across the developing world, even basic education is simply out of reach due to poverty. Poverty is closely linked to illiteracy - as both cause and consequence. Without basic literacy or skills, the opportunities for people to break free from the cycle of poverty are limited.

Over 870 million adults are illiterate, and two thirds of them are women. Educating girls results in improved family health, and reduced rates of child malnutrition and mortality. It is estimated that every year of a mother's education reduces the risk of her child's premature death by nine percent. Literate mothers are also more likely to send their daughters to school.

Islamic Relief operates many projects around the world to help children gain access to a good education. From building and reconstructing schools to providing school meals as an incentive to improve attendance, our work focuses on making it easier for children to stay in school.

Supporting Girls Education in Afghanistan

Over 25 years of civil conflict and natural disasters have left much of Afghanistan's infrastructure in ruins. Schools across the country have been severely damaged or destroyed and currently less than half of all primary school-age girls are receiving an education. A staggering 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate.

In order to increase the enrollment rate in primary education schools, particularly among girls, Islamic Relief has been reconstructing damaged schools in Afghanistan. In some areas, children have to study out in the open or in tents provided by the government because of the lack of schools. In Paghman, Islamic Relief has rehabilitated eight primary schools, five middle schools and four high schools that will serve children from 50 villages. Islamic Relief also trained over 1,300 newly qualified and returning teachers in 2005, to allow over 74,000 children to benefit from a better standard of education.

Farishta's New School

One of the schools rebuilt by Islamic Relief is the Qala-e-Adeh Girls School that provides education for approximately 800 children in Afghanistan. Eleven year-old Farishta is a student at the school. She was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan where her family sought shelter during the Soviet conflict. They returned to Afghanistan when she was nine, only to find that they no longer had a home. At first they rented a home in Kabul, and later were able to purchase some land in Paghman where they built a house.

Farishta's school was severely damaged during the many conflicts. Islamic Relief rehabilitated the Qala-e-Adeh Girls School and ensured that it was fully functional again. Students now study a range of subjects and receive a good quality education.

Farishta is one of the highest achieving students in her class. She studies math, biology, chemistry, physics, English, Dari, Pashto, and religious studies. Her favorite subject is biology; she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. When asked why, she said, "I want to help people with health problems in my country, wherever they live in Afghanistan."

For more information on Islamic Relief 's education projects, log onto www.irw.org/education.

From Partnership, the official newsletter of Islamic Relief, Spring 2007