Tasked to implement the preparatory work for construction of a road that will connect Afghanistan’s northern towns of Bamyan and Dushi, USAID’s Afghanistan Infrastructure Rehabilitation Program (AIRP) laid the groundwork for more than a road. It also helped build a community’s educational resources.
As part of its outreach efforts, USAID AIRP team had collaborated regularly with local communities and shuras to discuss the value of road-building projects and gain community support for such initiatives.
The site work team was housed in a facility known as Tala Camp. Following the closure of this camp, the Project’s community development advisors met with local tribal elders and district authorities to discuss the best future use for the camp site. It was decided that the camp facilities would be handed over to the Education Department of the Tala Wa Barfak District in Baghlan Province for use as a primary school.
In late 2011, a large number of district and education officials gathered to formally declare the opening of the new Kunj Shur School to a crowd of children and their teachers.
The District Governor spoke about the value of education to a child’s life and pointed out that education is the future of Afghanistan. Now, 350 children have registered with the Kunj Shur School. Of the students, 60% are boys and 40% are girls.
Shortly after the establishment of the new school, the AIRP team decided to raise funds among themselves to buy school supplies for the students. The district of Tala Wa Barfak is very poor and many of the students had no means with which to buy even the most basic school supplies.
Members of USAID AIRP team contributed $1,200 to buy notebooks, pencils, erasers, rulers, chalk and boards, school bags, and even winter clothing for students and teachers. The supplies were distributed to over 100 students at the Kunj Shur School – a small gesture with potentially long-lasting impact.