Husna*, an 11-year-old girl from northern Afghanistan, resides in a family of eight, comprising her parents, three brothers, two sisters. Husna* is in 4th grade in one of Save the Children supported CBE (Community Based Education) classes. Unlike her parents, she wishes to complete her studies, become a doctor, and be a remedy for the pain of poor people. Husna: “I want to become a doctor someday because I want to treat patients for free. I want to become the remedy for their pain. Because in my community, a sick person will not be taken to the doctor due to lack of money unless s/he is badly sick. I want to become a doctor and treat these people for free.” Says Husna*

Husna* (11) is attending Save the Children’s community-based education (CBE) class, which is being funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW). The project established community-based education classes in areas where there was no school, or the nearest public school was far to reach. The CBE students are provided with a student’s kit, including pens, notebooks, pencils, pencil sharpeners, and other items; winterization kits, including a coat, shoes, socks, petroleum jelly, etc.; and textbooks. The CBE teacher was also provided with standard teacher kits, including items like flipcharts, markers, teacher planners, and other teaching necessities and classroom kits, such as a whiteboard, attendance book, broom eraser, and white paper. To ensure the delivery of quality education, the CBE teachers have also been trained on different topics, including teaching methodologies, PFA (Psychological First Aid), PSS (psychosocial support), SEL (Social Emotional learning), SIR (Safe Identification and referral).

Stated husna*“Save the Children fulfilled all our educational needs. They provided us with education supplies (stationery) on time. We are very grateful for that support.”

“I am happy to be able to attend the class, we learned how to read and write and will not be like our mothers. There was no school in the area, and my mom could not study. So, she remained illiterate and became a housewife.”

Many children in her community are deprived of education due to the unaffordability of transport for their parents and the fear of having a car accident, or flooding on the way to school. She requests Save the Children to build schools and establish more CBE classes in their area, so no children miss school.

Parwin* Save the Children CBE teacher is concerned about the children that are pulled our form school and says “Many children in our area are old enough but do not go to school. School is far away, and the economic condition of parents is very poor, which is making it difficult for them to afford rickshaws (a less expensive three-wheeler transport usually used in Afghanistan) for their children. They would have sent their children to a public or private school if their living conditions were good. There are girls who have left school; they had dreams, but now they have to do housework.” And she expressed “I heard from one of the mothers who reside in this area that a rickshaw (a three-wheeler transport used in Afghanistan, usually inexpensive) hit her son on the way to school. When we established this class, people welcomed us very much. This mother also told me that she wishes this class had been here from the beginning so that her child would have not died.”