YOUR April peace mail from Afghanistan
Dear Friends,
My name is Mohammad and I am a teacher at a Girl’s High School in Afghanistan. I have been teaching here for seven years but I have been a teacher for 20 years.
I believe a woman should get an education just as a man does, but many girls in Afghanistan still don’t get the opportunity to go to school.
I see that there are two reasons why some families don’t let their daughters go to school. The first is lack of education in families themselves, and the other is tradition. But, there have been a lot of changes in my time as a teacher.
Through your support of CWSA, parents are encouraged to send their children to school through the work of community groups which help parents understand why schooling is important. Teachers are also getting trained in new interactive learning teaching methods which keep children engaged and wanting to learn. For example, in my class I use props such as apples to teach children about fractions.
When children see something practically, they never forget. We originally used traditional methods of teaching which were not as effective such as rote learning which relied on children memorising facts over and over where they didn’t understand what they were learning and as a result found this to be very boring.
If we implement even 40% of the methods that we’ve received in the trainings, we would be able to maintain a similar standard with developed countries in education. The teacher training has been so useful for both the teachers and the students.
Today, the number of girls attending school has increased and we have over 1,500 students.
I hope that we can increase workshops for teachers and help children with school books and stationery, because even the little things motivate the children a lot.
My greatest wish is for all of my students to get an education, it is their right. I wish that the students who study here one day become teachers, doctors, scholars, engineers and even parliament members. Girls make up half of the world’s population, we should invest in them.
Mohammad
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Three decades of conflict and instability has had a dramatic impact on children’s education and wellbeing in Afghanistan, and girls are still fighting for equal access to education. Your support is helping girls in Afghanistan overcome the barriers they face going to school and giving them a brighter future through improved access to quality education.
With your support, Act for Peace’s local partner Community World Service Asia (CWSA), is also training teachers in more effective teaching methods. This includes child-centred and practical learning which has resulted in an improved quality in child learning and attendance.
More ways to take action
Remember someone in need through the Christmas Bowl.
By giving a monthly gift, you can help bring safety, justice and dignity to people around the world who have fled from conflict and natural disasters.
Give a gift that will make a lasting difference.