IOM has handed over to officials the Funduqestan Girls High School in Sia Gerd district, Parwan province, the last of the 502 schools and health facilities IOM has either built or refurbished throughout Afghanistan.
The IOM Schools and Clinics Construction Project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), started in May 2004 and has contributed to the government of Afghanistan's nation-building efforts by addressing the healthcare and education needs of approximately seven million Afghan citizens through the construction and refurbishment of 328 schools and 174 health facilities in 23 provinces of the country. The project has also constructed girls' schools and maternity wards where none previously existed.
"Out of the 502 project sites IOM has completed, it is really fitting that the last school is a girls' school as the Ministry of Education is very interested in the progress on girls' education and I am sure they will be pleased to know more than 1,000 girls are attending this school," said Dean Homleid, USAID Head of Building Facilities Group, who attended the handover ceremony.
School Principal Abdul A. Rahim said, "The girls used to study out in the open, sitting on the gravel, and it was really hard. A lot of people who understand the importance of girls' education in the area appreciate the work done and they are starting to send more girls to school."
"The future of this country will depend on girls' education," Rahim added emphatically.
For further information, please contact Bogdan Danila at IOM Kabul, Tel + 93 (0) 700 224 863, Email: bdanila@iom.int or Katsui Kaya, Tel +93 (0) 700 185 961, Email: kkaya@iom.int.