Building Schools       Building Bridges       Building Hope:

Years of war and neglect completely destroyed the Afghan school system.  Two generations of children suffered, losing opportunities for education and a future.  Many children lost parents, grandparents, and other family members to years of international and civil wars.  Tens of thousands of children became refugees, living in poverty and despair.

During the Taliban era, girls and women were denied access to healthcare, employment, and education.  Families often risked everything to protect teachers and teach girls in their home.  Over time, the country became the most poor and oppressed in the world.

Since the Taliban’s removal from power at the end of 2001, millions of children have entered the school system – most for the first time.  One third of them are girls.  Women are again allowed to teach.  Some are even principals.

Study after study has shown that education is key to eliminating poverty and oppression and addressing the root causes of terrorism.  Afghan leaders have consistently put education at the top of their priority list. 

Although Afghans have seen great progress in rebuilding their country socially, politically and economically, much more work remains – especially with regard to education.  Many students still do not have a school available to them, teachers need training, and there is a critical need for books and supplies.

Working with the Afghan government, AFF is building schools, digging wells, providing school equipment and supplies, and providing teaching materials and training.  We need your help to finish this work.  Your support is not just building schools; you are helping re-build Afghanistan and breakdown misunderstandings and misperceptions between our countries.

We are building a number of schools in Afghanistan this year.  One is a large school for over 3,600 children, mostly girls.  It will cost approximately $250,000 to build and furnish with basic desks and chairs.  One desk for two students costs $20.  A well costs about $3,000.   We appreciate your gift in helping us bring hope and opportunity to these children. 

Please read about the children of Afghanistan, our work there, and ways in which you can help.

Because Afghanistan is a war zone, “Journey with an Afghan School” project has changed hands a few times.  In August 2006, the project was moved to AFF after the American team associated with Millennium Relief & Development Services (MRDS) closed its office in Afghanistan.

 

General Background on Afghanistan:

Afghanistan has been labeled by the United Nations as “one of the most difficult places to live in the world.” Decades of international and civil war, years of drought, and devastating earthquakes ruined the country’s economy and reduced the living conditions of its people to a bare subsistence level.

Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world; most live on less than $1 per day.  It leads the world in child and maternal mortality, malnutrition, and landmine victims.  Life expectancy is 43 years.  One out of four children dies before the age of five.  In 2002 women’s literacy was 6.5%, and there were more internally-displaced persons and refugees than any other country in the world.  Almost one-fourth of the entire population was homeless.    

Afghanistan has also been listed as one of the most oppressed countries in the world. During the six-year reign of the Taliban (from 1996-2001), women and girls were confined to homes with blackened windows and not allowed to leave their homes without a male relative.  They were forbidden from attending school or working. Consequently, many starved to death.  Covered from head to foot with burkhas, their faces even today remain hidden. 

Men were scarcely better off.  The Taliban disallowed music, dancing, playing soccer, kite flying, reading books and even laughing.  A roving patrol measured the lengths of men’s beards and publicly whipped those with beards that were too short.

AFF is working in north-central Afghanistan.  We chose to work in this area because it is in a strategic location.  It is the economic hub of northern Afghanistan.  Because of its location, there are many different tribes, or people’s groups, that live in this area, including Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen, Hazaras and Pashtun.  It is a “melting pot.”  Consequently, there are many different languages spoken. 

This part of Afghanistan was also hardest hit during the past few decades.  It is the region where the former Soviet Union first invaded.  It was also the home of the Northern Alliance.  Thus, the area was a war front and most of the infrastructure was destroyed.

 

The Children of Afghanistan:

Statistically, the highest casualties of war are children: 

During the time of the Taliban, only boys were allowed to attend school.  There were no schools, teachers or supplies, however, so most boys simply worked.  Women and girls were prohibited from going to school or teaching. 

At the end of 2001, when the Taliban were removed from power, girls were once again allowed to go to school.  Most classes were held outside in dirt fields.  Pencils and paper were virtually non-existent.

When relief workers met with Afghan leaders after the war, they told us that, once basic needs were met, they wanted schools.  One of AFF’s volunteers, Julia Bolz, heard the plea first-hand.  “They understood that to eliminate poverty, oppression and extremism, the children need education and the opportunities it brings.”

 

It’s All about Education:

Why should we care whether children in less-developed countries, like Afghanistan, are educated?  Beyond issues of human rights and human dignity, access to education enhances global stability.  It is also an essential building block to ending hunger and poverty.  Consider the following:

●When girls are educated, their future income increases dramatically, they and their children live longer and healthier lives, and malnutrition in the family declines sharply.

●Education decreases harmful traditional practices, like early childhood marriage, female genital mutilation and child slavery.

●Exclusion from education disproportionately affects the most poor and vulnerable children.  Without hope and opportunity, these children are more likely to be exploited or recruited by terrorist organizations.

●Education is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of AIDS and has been called a “social vaccine.”  For girls with primary education, their risk of infection is reduced by 25% -- for those with secondary education, the risk is reduced by 50%.

●In some parts of the world, over 50% of the population is under the age of 15.  Education teaches much-needed leadership skills, civic responsibility and life skills.

●Education provides a foundation for democratic governments.  It builds respect for the rule of law and concepts of justice, and it provides citizens with a stake in their own future.

●Education promotes tolerance and decreases extremism by providing safe environments for children to come together to learn about other languages, religions, cultures and customs, learn non-violent dispute resolution, and build bridges and breakdown misunderstandings between classmates, as well as community members.

Afghanistan is a harsh example of what happens to a country when you take education away.  It literally became the most poor and oppressed country in the world.  To build it back up, education is key.

 

“Journey with an Afghan School” – Our History and Mission:

This grassroots project to build bridges between America and Afghanistan began just months after 9-11 and the Taliban were removed from power in Afghanistan. Communities from around the country teamed up with Julia Bolz, a human rights lawyer and social justice advocate, who founded a project called “Journey with an Afghan School.” She taught about poverty in the developing world and the plight of children in Afghanistan, namely that school was held in abandoned houses, fields and tents; and basic supplies like pencils and paper were nonexistent.

With funds raised by these communities, teams in Afghanistan have built 10 new schools and repaired 12 others destroyed by war. They also have distributed textbooks, school supplies and athletic equipment; facilitated cross-cultural exchanges; created libraries; provided teacher trainings, courses on life-skills and curriculum development; and supported computer centers.  Today, we serve close to 20,000 Afghan students, affecting some 140,000 family members. 

Uniquely, around 50,000 Americans have been involved with this project. They come from public and private schools, family foundations, book clubs, various religious institutions, colleges, non-profits like National Geographic and Rotary, community giving circles and Fortune 500 companies. 

Most of these U.S. supporters have been paired up with a sister school in Afghanistan.  Each of these schools has what we call a “lead” partner that is responsible for helping raise funds to build and maintain the school, participate in cultural exchanges, and update their communities in America about the status of the school.  Our “leads” in the United States come from Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Madison, Wisconsin; Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Aspen, Colorado; and Crested Butte, Colorado.

ENGAGING, EDUCATING & EMPOWERING

Our goal is to eliminate poverty and oppression by transforming communities socially, politically and economically.  We also hope Americans will come to understand those who differ vastly in their expressions of religion, culture, language and scope of opportunities, and they will come to understand us.  We do this by engaging, educating, and empowering those in Afghanistan, as well as America.

Over the past six years, Julia Bolz (the co-founder of “Journey with an Afghan School”) has spoken over 300 times to various public and private schools, book clubs, giving circles, universities, government agencies, businesses, churches, and communities across the country.  She also has met with members of the U.S. Congress, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, U.S. State Department, and U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council.

We seek to:

●Build global citizenship and global connections by encouraging Americans to learn about other cultures and current events in other countries, study foreign languages, recognize how decisions at home affect communities abroad, stop dehumanizing and stereotyping various communities, welcome exchange students into our homes, reach out in friendship internationally, and be generous and caring to others.

●Raise awareness about poverty and oppression in the developing world, particularly in Afghanistan; engage in sustainable development; and build models that can replicated in other parts of the world.

●Facilitate cultural exchanges and cross-cultural projects between students.

●Generate the political will to ensure that all children, especially girls, have an opportunity to attend primary school in the developing world.

Building a School in Afghanistan:

Before a school is ever started, we spend hours and hours out in a community.  We want the villagers to know who we and we want to know about them.  Most of the Americans working on the project have lived in Central Asia for over ten years.  They speak multiple languages and are extremely well-respected development workers. 

Among other things, the team always describes why folks in America, on the other side of the world, are interested in helping Afghans.  They also work to set up relationships and expectations.  We don’t go into a community unless we’re invited.  We are guests. 

There is a wonderful expression in Central Asia:  “It takes two hands to clap.”  In essence, you can’t simply have one hand that gives (i.e., claps) or it will soon get tired and stop.  To make a relationship work, you need giving from both sides.  Thus, whereas we might provide the funds for the building, Afghans are responsible for helping build and maintain the schools, provide security and pay teachers’ salaries. 

Once the relationship has been established and the foundation of the building is ready to be laid, there is a community-wide celebration and a cornerstone is laid by elder.  Construction is very simple.  Construction materials, like bricks, stone and cement, are all purchased locally.  Afghan workers are hired from communities and provided with tools and training.

 

Our Communities in Afghanistan:

"pictures"

 

Building Bridges Between Our Countries:

AFF’s goal is not simply to build schools in Afghanistan.  We are working to engage, educate and empower students and their families in both Afghanistan and America.  Our work with Coe Elementary School in Seattle, Washington illustrates our work.

Coe Elementary School was the first school to participate in the school project, and it has become a national role model of cross-cultural learning and community service.  They have become our heroes, as well as the heroes for many kids in Afghanistan.

At the time Julia gave her first Afghan show & tell in the spring of 2002, Coe students were temporarily housed in another school, because their school had burned to the ground.  While most communities would have been focused on simply getting through the year and worrying about their own kids, Coe parents, teachers, students and staff asked, “What can we do to help the children in Afghanistan?”  With their encouragement, Julia went back to her American colleagues working in Afghanistan and asked if they were interested in building a school for girls.  What we started back in 2002 was a small grassroots project called “Journey with an Afghan School.” 

Our partnership with Coe, which started five years ago, is still going strong.  We would like to share a bit of our story with you, because it is a microcosm of our larger project:

Although the kids have gotten much of the attention in the media, a great deal of credit is owed to Coe parents, teachers and staff.  There is no question that they have a huge heart for making this world a better place.  It is an extremely unique community, starting with the principal, David Elliott.  His passion for education and compassion for children in need really radiates throughout the school.  It’s clear that this isn’t a place where children are learning to simply read and write, but learning about the bigger world and their responsibility for helping others, albeit their neighbor or someone on the other side of the world.  

In the spring of 2007, Mr. Elliott joined the AFF team in Afghanistan for two weeks, where he had an opportunity to meet members of the Afghan community and Coe’s sister school. 

Interestingly, when we speak to the Afghan teachers, students and principal in Afghanistan about Coe, eyes simply light up.  Despite the miles, this community has managed to bring hope and opportunity to one of the most desperate places on earth.   Last time Julia was in Afghanistan, she received a beautiful, handmade rug from the principal of the Afghan school for Mr. Elliott.  Woven into the design are two flags:  one American and one Afghan, showing the friendship that has been formed between these two communities.  Given that this is a country where there was such hatred against the United States, this simple gift speaks volumes.   

Although we have highlighted the Coe community here, we would be remiss if we didn’t say that we are extraordinarily fortunate to have several “Coe-type” communities involved with our project, including ones from Austin, Texas; Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Aspen, Colorado; and Washington, D.C. 

Margaret Mead once wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  On behalf of the children of Afghanistan, we thank these communities from the bottom of our hearts for their support over the years. 

 

Stories of Hope:

Last year, Julia met with the district director of the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan.  She asked him, “What’s the biggest change you have seen because of our school project?”  Without hesitating, he smiled at her and said, “You’ve given us hope.” He said, “Let me tell you two stories about how you’ve changed our communities.” 

One story involved a little girl was about nine.  After the Taliban, she was allowed to go to school for the first time, but her father forbade it.  While all of her friends started the first grade, she was told to stay home.  Seeing the excitement of her friends, she started sneaking into school.  She probably could have been publicly whipped for disobeying her father.  One day, her father received a letter from a relative in Pakistan.  He was illiterate; he couldn’t read it.  Subsequently, this little girl bravely came forward and told her father that she could read it for him.  Instead of beating her, he actually embraced her.  Although he was shocked, he was proud.  She was the first person to read in his family.  Such stories happened throughout the district.  The girls’ school, which started with 420 girls and 8 teachers, now has almost 1,000 girls and over 20 teachers.  It is such courageous and determined children who will change Afghanistan. 

Second, there used to have a soccer field which had been used as a killing field.  Now that field has brought together boys and men from various ethnic groups.  For the first time in years, they are actually playing soccer together, not fighting. 

In addition to these stories, we have seen many others, first-hand.  A few years back, team members from MRDS were approached by four communities that had fought each other for decades.  Some fought with the Soviets and others with the Mujahadin.  Later, some fought with the Taliban; others with the Northern Alliance.  Realizing that nothing would change unless they educated their children, they pledged to lay down their arms if we would help them build a new school.  We did just that.  Now, they are actually learning the same language, and they are learning to communicate.

Importantly, they are also interested in building bridges with America and getting to know more about our beliefs and values.

 

Our Team in Afghanistan:

AFF has been working in Afghanistan since 2002.  Its primary focus to date has been on digging much-needed wells and managing water projects.  The team has several well- respected construction workers.  One, in particular, has been the construction manager for most of the schools in our project.  Unlike other schools that have already fallen apart, ours have become models in the region.  No others have built them as cheaply or well.

The leader of the AFF team is an American, who is a water engineer by profession.  His wife is a public health nurse, who trains trainers that engage in health education in rural villages, and she also is helping to coordinate the translation of training materials into Dari, the local language.  Together, they have live in Central Asia about 14 years.  In 2006, AFF’s team leader was given an award by the governor of the province for his outstanding contributions to the region.  It is the first time a foreigner has received such recognition.

 

Our Team in the United States:

The founder of “Journey with an Afghan School is Julia Bolz.  Julia has dedicated herself to making the world a better and safer place.  In 1998, she traded a successful career as a partner in one of Seattle’s respected law firms to serve as a full-time advocate and grassroots activist in some of the most desperate and inhospitable places on earth. 

Julia works to empower the disenfranchised by helping them build sustainable businesses, schools and healthcare facilities, and negotiate political challenges.  As a “free lance volunteer,” she has worked with several dozen non-profits across six continents as a business and legal advisor, as well as a fundraiser and networked.

Since the terrorist attacks in 2001, she has focused on educating women and girls in Afghanistan, which puts her at one of the world epicenters of political and social injustice.  Among other successes, Julia has been instrumental in building or reconstructing most of our schools in Afghanistan.  She also facilitates cultural exchanges between Afghans and Americans.

Closer to home, Julia is committed to serving as a “voice of the voiceless” and building bridges and breaking down barriers between America and the developing world.  She regularly speaks around the country to students and communities, writes about her experiences, and meets with political decision-makers in Washington, D.C.  She wants to help generate the political will to end the worst aspects of hunger and poverty, especially ensuring that 90 million, poor and vulnerable children in the developing world have an opportunity to receive a free primary education. 

Julia has become a role model for others seeking to pursue humanitarian passions.  In 2004, she was the recipient of the Thomas C. Wales Foundation award for courageous civic engagement, leadership, and passionate citizenship.  In February 2006, she received a medal of distinction from her alma mater Smith College in Massachusetts.  And, in July 2007, Julia was a presenter at the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival in Aspen. 

 

How Can You Help?

We are engaged in numerous projects in Afghanistan this year.  The largest project is the construction of a new 16-room classroom for 3,600 children, and the repair of the school’s existing campus.  In addition, we plan to provide the campus with a new well, latrines, school equipment and supplies.  The project will cost approximately $250,000. 

In addition, we plan to purchase some 2,000 desks and school equipment for other schools in the region.  Others have asked for wells and latrines.  These simple items often hold children back from attending school. 

 

News & Events:

News from Afghanistan - upcoming . . .

Coe Principal David Elliott’s Podcasts from Afghanistan (spring 2007) - click on http://web.mac.com/coecougars/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html   In spring 2007, David Elliott joined the AFF team for two weeks in Afghanistan.  During this time, he sent a number of podcasts to the students at Coe Elementary in Seattle, Washington.  To connect, you’ll need to have QuickTime. 

Articles about “Journey with an Afghan School”

“Program gives Aspen a taste of Afghanistan,” by C. Agar (The Aspen Times, Jan. 15, 2007).

“Journey with an Afghan School,” by L. Reed (FACES, Mar. 2006.)  For a copy of FACES, please call 603-924-7209.

“Building a school one cupcake at a time,” (Queen Anne News, Mar. 29, 2006).

 “Donations help build Afghan school for girls,” by R. Zabel (Queen Anne News, Feb. 15, 2005).

“Project of Giving Becomes a Lesson in Living,” by D. Bach (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Dec. 28, 2004).

“Choir Concert Raises Money for Refugee Aid,” by D. Wong (Ballard News-Tribune, Apr. 30, 2003).

“Coe Pupils Reach out to Girls in Afghanistan,
 Dec. 2002).

“Connecting to a War-Torn World Away,” by P. Wissel (Queen Anne/Magnolia News, Dec. 11, 2002).

“Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror,” by J. Bolz (Eastside Journal, June 29, 2002).

“In Afghanistan, these Folks are Working from the Heart,” by J. Bolz (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 9, 2002).

Articles about Julia Bolz

“Medalists Offer Life Lessons,” (Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Summer 2006).

“The Freelance Volunteer,” by Carson Jones (Leadership Link Fall/Winter 2005-2006).

“Afghan Advocate Receives Award,” by Seattle Times Staff (The Seattle Times, Jan. 17, 2005).

“Bright Lights make the World a Better Place,” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Dec. 25, 2004).

“Building a New Career,” by S. Daker (Northwester, Spring 2004).

“Building Bridges – How a Local Woman Acted Globally to Aid the Women of Afghanistan,” by C. Larson (The Clipper, Jan. 30, 2004).

“From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe - Serving those in Need,” by J. Bolz (Washington State Bar News, Sept. 2002).

 

Past Events

Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen, CO – July 1-6, 2007

Crested Butte, CO – July

 

Upcoming Events

Madison, WI – September 10, 2007