Send Afghan Children to School

Uddannelse Afghanistan

Send Afghan Children to School (SACS) støtter skolegang for piger og drenge fra fattige og splittede familier i Herat, Afghanistan. I 2023 har vi støttet 24 drenge og piger. Da Taleban-regeringen i marts 2022 nægtede piger over 6. klasse at gå i skole, ramte det 7 SACS-støttede piger. Vores svar er nu at fortsætte støtten med en overvægt af piger. I mange SACS familier er moderen eneforsørger, som også nu nægtes at arbejde. På grund af afledt sult og nød har vi i 2022 undtagelsesvis støttet familierne med basale fornødenheder. Efter jordskjælvet i oktober 2023 har vi ekstraordinært igen sendt nødhjælp til familierne.

Initiativet til SACS er taget af en afghansk familie, der kom til Danmark i 2013. Familien havde erfaringer med at yde denne form for støtte og har stadig et godt netværk af frivillige i Herat. Vi vil gerne udvide antallet af børn og sikre hele deres grundskoleforløb. Det kan ske med økonomisk støtte fra privatpersoner, fonde, godgørende organisationer m.v.

Baggrunden er, at et meget stort antal børn fra fattige familier i Afghanistan ikke går i skole. Forældrene skal selv betale skoleuniformer, bøger, skoletasker, hygiejneartikler, m.m., mens selve skolegangen er gratis. Hvis forældrene er døde eller ikke har de økonomiske ressourcer, får børnene ikke en grundskoleuddannelse. Konsekvensen er, at børnene bliver analfabeter uden mulighed for en relevant uddannelse. Taleban nægter som nævnt pt. piger over 6. klasse at gå i skole.

SACS målgruppe er drenge og piger i alderen 6 – 18 år bosat i Herat, som er beliggende i den vestlige del af Afghanistan. Byen er landets 3. største med et indbyggertal på ca. 750.000.

SACS visionen er gennem uddannelse at give målgruppen langt større mening og indhold i hverdagen, samt skabe respekt for etnisk og religiøs mangfoldighed. Dette kan bidrage til at skabe fred, tolerance og forståelse og dermed samlet set mere sikkerhed, tryghed og tro på fremtiden.

SACS aktiviteter er at skaffe de nødvendige ressourcer til, at et antal drenge og piger får mulighed for at gå i grundskole. De indsamlede midler anvendes til indkøb af nødvendige skoleuniformer, bøger, skoletasker, hygiejneartikler m.v., som kræves for at børnene kan gå i skole. Det langsigtede mål er at skabe mulighed for, at et større antal børn kan sendes i skole og modtage undervisning i et fuldt skoleforløb.

SACS bygger på en frivillig indsats både i Afghanistan og Danmark.

Frivilliggrupen i Herat, Afghanistan har til opgave at opsøge relevante familier, lave aftaler om skolegang, indkøbe det nødvendige, supervisere skolegangen og levere ønsket dokumentation. Den foreløbige erfaring er, at dækning af et enkelte barns nødvendige udstyr i et skoleår beløber sig til ca. 700 kr. Forældrene modtager ikke penge eller får ansvar for indkøb af udstyr. Bortset fra gebyrer for pengeoverførsler går alle midler direkte til indkøb til børnene. I 2023 har vi efter jordskælvet ekstraordinært sendt 8.000,00 kr til nødhjælp i form af basale fornødenheder.

Arbejdsgruppen i Danmark har til opgave at skaffe midler og ønsket dokumentation, samt varetage kontakten til sponsorerne. På længere sigt søges SACS udvidet til en større indsats, hvis det forhåbentlig vil være muligt at skaffe større sponsorater fra privatpersoner, fonde mv.

Samarbejdet i SACS går fint, og arbejdsgruppen i Danmark får foto- og videohilsener samt den ønskede dokumentation for afholdte udgifter og beviser for børnene skolegang. Efter Talebans magtovertagelse har vi af sikkerhedshensyn ændret organisationen lidt, og fotos offentliggøres ikke på digitale medier. På grund af jordskælvet i oktober 2023 var kommunikationen til Herat i en længere periode afbrudt eller overbelastet. Det er dog helt afgørende nu igen at have en organisation, der løbende sikrer dokumentation for, at bidrag fuldt ud går til formålet.

Bidrag til SACS kommer fra privatpersoner i vores netværk. Desuden har vi i 2022-23 modtaget støtte fra og Soroptimist International Randers, Soroptimist International Mariager Fjord og Randers Y`s Men’s Club. Vi ønsker om muligt tilsagn fra flere sponsorer om at støtte de næste år, så vi i fællesskab kan øge antallet af SACS-børn i fremtiden.

Er du interesseret i at vide mere og måske bidrage til SACS? Få tilsendt vores nyhedsbreve og overvej at blive sponsor. Så kontakt os nu!

Ghulam Hazrat Ensanyar, Hashmat Ibrahim, Grethe Kjærgaard, Bent Fenger Jensen

English Version:

Send Afghan Children to School.

Education Afghanistan.

Project Send Afghan Children to School (SACS) supports schooling for children from poor and split-up families in Herat, Afghanistan. We supported 31 children until March 2022. After the takeover by Taleban in 2021 the Taleban leadership denied girls after the 6^th form access to the schools. Unfortunately 7 SACS girls were targeted. In many SACS families the mothers are single parents, who are now also denied the right to work. Because of hunger and need the project ha exceptionally supported the families with provision of basic necessities.

The initiative to the project came from an Afghan family, who arrived in Denmark in 2013. This family has some experience of providing such support and has a network of volunteers in Herat. We aim at increasing the number of supported children and to secure their basic schooling by raising financial support from private funds and individuals.

After the takeover by Taleban in 2021, the organization of the project has somewhat changed, however, the project has managed to keep on supporting the children and their families – and at present also with acute provisions of food.

Unfortunately Taliban at present put restrictions on the school attendance of the older girls.

The establishment of the group of sponsors and volunteers in Denmark is initiated by an Afghan family, who came to Denmark in 2013. This family is experienced in giving this kind of support to poor children from the time before their flight, and thus has a network of volunteers in Herat. The project aims at increasing the number of children and securing their primary schooling by also increasing the fundraising in Denmark from funds, charity and support from private individuals.

The background is that a great number of Afghan children from poor families do not have the means to go to school. Their parents have to pay for school uniforms, learning materials, school bags, hygiene materials, etc., the schooling, however, is free. Thus the children will not get any primary education, if their parents have died, disappeared or lack financial resources. The result is that the children face an existence as illiterates without any possibility of relevant education. At present Taleban denies girls over the 6^th form access to schools.

The target group of the SACS project is boys and girls aged 6 to 18 years, residing in Herat, a city situated in the western part of Afghanistan. The city is one of the largest in the country with a population of 350,000 people.

The vision of the SACS project is to provide the necessary (sufficient) resources for a number of boys and girls to get primary education and thereby give more meaning and substance in their everyday lives that will generate respect for ethnic and religious diversity. Hopefully this will contribute to crate peace tolerance and understanding and thus contribute to increased security, comfort and belief in a better future.

The collected financial resources are spent on providing the above-mentioned materials obligatory for school children in Afghanistan. The long-term plan is to provide the opportunity for an increasing number of children to get and complete primary schooling.

Practically the SACS project is based on contributions from volunteers in both Afghanistan and Denmark. Voluntary contacts in Herat have the task of seeking out relevant families, making agreements about attendance in schools, providing necessary means and materials, supervising appearance and furnishing the project with the wanted documentation. At present the yearly expences for each child amounts to about 700 DKK once-and-for-all. Apart from bank charges all funding goes directly to provisions for the children.

The party of volunteers in Denmark have the task of fundraising and of receiving and passing on to sponsors documentation for the activities in Afghanistan.

The party of volunteers in Afghanistan provide/buy the necessary materials for the individual child. The parents do not get access to the money or are given any responsibility for provision of materials. The volunteers in Afghanistan report back to SACS, who inform the sponsors and contributors on finances and the attendance and progress of the children. The volunteers in Afghanistan and Denmark of course work for free. The collaboration with the volunteers in Afghanistan is fine, and the Danish volunteers receive photo greetings together with the wanted documentation of the activities in Afghanistan. As it is not at present possible to visit Afghanistan, it is of absolute necessity to have an organization that is able to secure documentation for the sponsors that their donations end in the right place and for the right purpose.

Donations to SACS come from private individuals and charity organizations in the network of SACS. In 2021-22 The Soroptimists In both Randers and Mariager-Fjord, Y-Men’s Club, Seniors without Borders and several private individuals have given their financial support.

Wo hope for more financial support from more sponsors for the next years, so that we can increase

The number of SCAS-children for the future.

Do you want further information of the SACS project or maybe consider sponsoring the education of the children, please contact the project manager now.