Although a government-operated school, supplies are scarce and the facilities are negligible, but they are blessed with more than 300 teachers who receive meager wages (as low as $100/mo) and yet are inspiring these kids to greatness. This public school is not too proud to accept donations from outside organizations and they are always welcomed.
Located in eastern Kabul, many of the students (about 90% of them girls based on our observations) come from extremely poor communities in the surrounding region that includes at least one IDP camp that we visited briefly on our way back to the guest house.
Yesterday we unpacked, sorted, inventoried, and repacked more than 200 blankets and dozens of coats, sweatshirts, gloves, and hats that we got to deliver today to the school to be distributed to the students and teachers most in need.
We then got a tour of the school and the kids, just like the street kids we visited yesterday, were extremely engaging, incredibly bright, and full of hope. When you see so many hundreds of girls filling the seats, it’s hard to believe that the previous entire generation of girls had been prohibited from attending any school at all. And the faces in the pictures below show just how much these girls are capitalizing on their new opportunity.
After finishing the tour we drove past the IDP camp that I mentioned earlier which is just down the hill from the school and is home to many of the school’s students. An IDP camp is similar to a “refugee camp” except the residents are Afghans, not refugees from somewhere else. For a description the living conditions in an Afghan IDP camp you can read about a couple of my previous visits in June 2010 and June 2011. We did not have time to stop and distribute any supplies at the camp, but we wanted the team members to have a chance to see first-hand what conditions had been like for the people now living in Barek Aub.
We returned to the guest house for a lunch break and then went on a Kabul “city tour” orientation including visiting a number of landmarks from Kabul’s past – ruins of the Darul Aman and Chilsatoon palaces, and the tomb of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire.
After a long and exhausting day, we retreated once again to the guest house where we shared dinner with some friends living in Kabul. We also spent some time sharing thoughts about our week so far – the highs and the lows – before calling it a night for some much needed rest.
We continue to be amazed at the spirit and drive of the incredible Afghan people – especially the kids! It is truly an honor to be invited to join them in their restoration efforts. Please continue to pray for strength and wisdom for us as well as for the Afghan people.
--Bob
