The Afghan School Project

As of January 4th, we have raised $9,828 of $20,000 toward the cost of an Information Resource Centre at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center in Kandahar. To help, please visit our Donate section or e-mail us at staff@theafghanschool.org.

Thanks to our generous donors, we have met our goal of raising $20,000 toward student scholarships and educational equipment for the ACCC from May 2009 to May 2010 – four months ahead of schedule!

Our Adopt-a-Student program is a great way for you to learn more about a specific student that you’re helping send to school. You can also sponsor a student in someone else’s name as a gift for a wedding, birthday or holiday, and Adopt-A-Student makes a great work or school project. To learn more, please click here.

The Afghan School Project is a Canada-based grassroots initiative, established by the Canadian International Learning Foundation (Registered Charity # 80785 5218 RR0001), to provide financial and administrative support to an educational institution in Kandahar, Afghanistan known as the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC).

The ACCC provides more than 700 women and men with the opportunity to receive education in Business Management, Information Technology, English and Health care, while providing members of the community with access to the Internet and online classes from Canadian and international institutions.

A group of 32 students at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center are enrolled in the Business Management certificate program offered online by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), a Calgary-based Polytechnic Institute that offers internationally-recognized post-secondary education. The Business Management program often allows students in Kandahar to secure high-paying employment after as little as one course.

A group of 5 ACCC students have also been given scholarships to study online classes with the Canada eSchool, where they will study a range of subjects including Science, Math, English and Civics.

The school’s programs provide students with the skills required to obtain employment that will support themselves and their families, benefit their communities and participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The skills that students develop at the ACCC are in high demand by international development agencies, local businesses and the Afghan government.

Although the ACCC has only been open since early 2007, more than 100 students have already obtained high-paying jobs as a result of this training. Hundreds more are already employed, and continue to upgrade their skills through ACCC classes. More than 35 returnees from Iran and Pakistan have also come to the ACCC for training.

The vast majority of the ACCC’s expenses are paid for by small donations made by generous individuals in Canada and around the world, and through a capacity building grant provided by the Government of Canada via the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Female students attend the ACCC at no cost, while most of our male students pay modest student fees to cover the cost of their teachers’ salaries and support the Women’s Program.

Benefits

Although the school only began operations in January 2007, the monthly salaries of ACCC graduates already generate almost 15 times the cost of operating the ACCC, clearly showing the school’s worth. The employment obtained by our current and former students allow them to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and their community, and further contribute to the ongoing development and economic growth of Afghanistan.  Women in the community not enrolled at the ACCC also have the opportunity to go online at no cost through the ACCC’s Internet-enabled computer lab.

By providing valuable training to a large number of students, the ACCC also increases the number of trained graduates, thereby reducing the cost of labour for companies and non-government organizations operating in the Kandahar area.

Donations and Partnerships

The teachers and students of the ACCC and the volunteers at the Afghan School Project hope that you will donate to the school and help us offer valuable education to additional students in the Kandahar area. When it can cost less than US$15 per month to provide a student with post-secondary education, you don’t have to make a big donation to get big results. Your assistance will play a very important role in helping students in Kandahar create a better life for themselves, their families and their community. To help, please visit our Donate Section. Tax receipts are available for eligible Canadian donations, and all donations go directly to the ACCC.

The ACCC is also seeking grants from organizations who wish to support our goal of further improving education, economic development, human rights and governance in the Kandahar area. We are pleased to be able to work with potential donors to design projects in accordance with the school’s needs and the donors’ interests. With your help, we can raise the funds we need to expand the school and its programs.

Canadian Support

The Afghan School Project is a project of the Canadian International Learning Foundation, a registered Canadian charity managed by a group of volunteers based in Ottawa, Canada. All Canadian staff members work on an unpaid basis, and receive no compensation for their work. The volunteers are responsible for fundraising, communications and providing the ACCC with academic resources. 100% of all donations and grants are used to pay the cost of operating the ACCC.

The Afghan School Project’s volunteers also manage the project website (www.theafghanschool.org) and our Page on facebook. These sites promote a community in which Afghan students can meet interested Canadians, receive academic support and discuss important issues, such as women’s rights. The Afghan School Project also manages an e-mail pen pal program that matches students in Afghanistan with Canadians and other supporters abroad.

Contact Us

If you would like to send us feedback or ask a question, please e-mail us at staff@theafghanschool.org, call us at (613) 614-5349, or write to us at PO Box 4791, Stn E, Ottawa, ON., K1S 5B1. Donations by cheque should be made payable to the Canadian International Learning Foundation with Afghan School Project in the memo field.

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