ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan addresses guests during graduation

The ACCC offers employment-focused education and training that ensures graduates have the skills they need for employment success in the city of Kandahar and throughout Afghanistan during this critical time of rebuilding. More than half of the ACCC budget is provided by the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The ACCC also benefits from ongoing partnerships with both the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Canadian International Learning Foundation (CanILF).

The Deputy Governor of Kandahar Ghulam Jelani Hamayun, Director of Women’s Affairs Rona Tarin, Youth Affairs Manager Nisar Ahmad Arya, and other local community leaders attended the ceremony and expressed their pride in the students and school. After taking a tour of ACCC classrooms and speaking to students and teachers, they called the ACCC “a great success, and a sign of a progressive and peaceful Afghanistan.”

In addition to the women’s achievements, the ceremony also marked the graduation of 19 men from an English Language course that was offered in partnership with the American University of Afghanistan. During the ceremony, certificates were also awarded to six “Youth Champions of the Year” in recognition of their achievements in education, sport, and literature. Three female students of the ACCC were among the youth award recipients.

ACCC student receives a certificate in recognition of her achievements

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan spoke at the ceremony about how the occassion represents the successes and achievements of the ACCC and of the students. In just four years, the school and its students have made impressive progress on important issues such as gender equality, capacity building, education and employment. Ehsan emphasized the courage and dedication of his female students for pursuing their education and succeeding despite the continued challenges that women face in Kandahar.

Ehsan also took the opportunity to thank Canadian donors, volunteers, and CIDA for their continued financial and administrative support.  This was the first graduation ceremony to be held at the new ACCC Resource Center, a facility founded through donations made to the Canadian International Learning Foundation’s Afghan School Project. The Resource Center is large enough to accomodate 200 people and will be equipped with all of the furniture and technology necessary to serve as both an everyday research lab and as a public forum for student events. More than $15,000 has been raised for the ACCC’s Resource Center, and a further $10,000 is required for its completion.

The event was covered by local, national and international media, including Kandahar Television, Hewad Television, VOA Television (through Radio Television of Afghanistan), Shamshad Television, Surgar Weekly Newspaper, Benawa.com, Kalid Radio and Afghan Azada Radio.

At the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC), a school that grants women the right to education every day, the celebration of International Women’s Day is particularly significant. Staff, students, families, media and honourable guests gathered to celebrate and discuss the role of women in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Young girls singing at the Women’s Day Celebration

This year, many of the speeches highlighted the amazing progress made by Afghan women and touched on broad themes such as the role of women in Islam, the universal human rights of women, and the increasing employment options for women in Afghanistan.

Ehsan, the Director of the ACCC, made a passionate speech about the importance of education as the “backbone of a nation.” He praised his students for their bravery, saying: “I am impressed by the courage women have shown in this remote corner of the world where the female population is still threatened by ultra-conservative cultural attitudes, the poverty and the ongoing war.” He also noted that many women have been rewarded for their persistence and dedication with positions in the Afghan parliament, provincial councils, and other institutions involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Ehsan awards a certificate of achievement

Several guests of honour were in attendance, including the Deputy Governor of Kandahar, members of Afghanistan’s parliament, the Director of Women’s Affairs, the Director of Kandahar Women’s Council and a representative from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The ACCC awarded certificates of achievement and gifts to several of the participants in recognition of their contributions to the ACCC and to the cause of women’s rights in Kandahar.

ACCC students address the crowd

Many of the ACCC staff and students are shining examples of what women can accomplish. They took this day to celebrate their achievements, to thank those who made it possible and to talk about the next steps for women in Afghanistan.

The participants enjoyed refreshments and received gifts of clothes, dictionaries and teapots courtesy of the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) CIMIC Team, Kandahar Innovative Advertisements and the ACCC.

Vital English is an e-Learning company which focuses on ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. Their diverse range of ESL courses enables educators and organizations to reach students in a manner best suited to their learning needs. They offer a wide range of courses from general English to English for Specific Purposes (such as Information Technology and Business), offering a ‘white label’ solution that carries the branding of the organizations using their materials.

The courses provided by Vital English will help to improve ESL training at our partner schools, help students in Afghanistan and Yemen obtain specialized employment, and enable students of all fields to conduct more effective research over the Internet. Vital English has a range of partners including the University of Cambridge who use their services for their online version of the IELTS and BULATS test preparation courses.

Students at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center who would like to study ESL with Vital English should inform their teacher of their interest.

An ACCC student delivers a graduation speech

On November 2^nd, 2009 a landmark ceremony was held in Kandahar to celebrate the graduation of 140 female students from the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC). The ceremony was attended by over 350 guests including teachers, parents, students, prominent members of the local community and media, and representatives of the Afghan and Canadian governments.

Among the graduates were ten students who completed a two-year Business Management Program provided online through a partnership with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). These ten students also received certificates, signed by the Prime Minister of Canada and presented by Jess Dutton, Acting Representative of Canada in Kandahar (RoCK), to mark their achievements in business management, computer technology and English language training. The ceremony also celebrated the graduation of a further sixteen students from the SAIT program upon completion of a Project Management course.

Jess Dutton presents ACCC students with certificates signed by the Prime Minister of Canada

Mr. Dutton recognized the hard work and dedication of the SAIT students under challenging circumstances, noting that the students’ achievements were an inspiration to Afghans and Canadians alike. He further encouraged the students to use their education to give back to their community in Kandahar, and their nation of Afghanistan.

The accomplishments of these students and the ACCC are significant, particularly considering they took place in a country that is still trying to recover from conflict and amidst the threats of a narrow minority who oppose women’s education. This achievement was further recognized in several speeches by local employers, who thanked the ACCC for raising the overall standard of education for women in Kandahar.

The graduating class of SAIT students at the ACCC

Bibi Zhilla, a graduating student from the SAIT program, spoke on behalf of her class about what it felt like to graduate from an international learning program. She thanked ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan and her many teachers for their support and encouragement throughout the two year program and noted how the program instilled a confidence in herself and her fellow students, along with the many practical skills that they learned.

She assured the crowd that: “…the end of this course is just one of the many great accomplishments I hope to achieve in my life. Graduation from this course is just the beginning of a new flight for all of us and from this day onward everyone tries to work harder and participate in the reconstruction of the country.”

Shamim, another graduating SAIT student, noted the significance of the Prime Minister’s signature upon the certificates, which she felt clearly demonstrated the importance placed by the people of Canada on empowering the people of Afghanistan with the gift of education. The Government of Canada provides most of the operating budget of the ACCC via a capacity-building grant administered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan and CIDA Development Officer Karine Landry

The Deputy Governor of Kandahar spoke during the ceremony, emphasizing that “Canadian investment in education is truly building us. Education can really help us a secure a better future.” He further noted that the ACCC could be proud of its many remarkable accomplishments.

The Director of Information and Culture, whose own daughters were in the graduating class, also spoke of his pride in the women’s achievements and asked the graduates to “…make the best of the knowledge you received for the betterment of yourselves and the people of Afghanistan.” Many speeches personally thanked ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan for his tireless efforts, as well as the ACCC’s many teachers and supporters in Kandahar, Canada and around the world.

In his speech, Ehsan thanked Canadian donors, volunteers, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for their considerable support. He noted that Canadian support has been not only financial but had also provided invaluable expertise and guidance which was helping the ACCC move toward self-sustainability. He also thanked his female students for the courage and dedication they’ve shown, despite the many challenges that women in Afghanistan still face. He praised the brave example they have set for future classes of women.

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan delivers his speech

The ACCC awarded certificates of appreciation on behalf of SAIT and the Canadian International Learning Foundation to 19 Kandahar journalists from a diverse range of news agencies and networks for their promotion and media coverage of education efforts in Kandahar. Graduates expressed their appreciation with handmade gifts to CIDA and SAIT staff members, CanILF volunteers, and Ehsan and his family.

The event was also covered by local, national and international media, including Kandahar Television, Larawbar, Pajhwok News (English / Pashto),  Benawa Online Pashto World, Surgar Weekly Newspaper (First Story, Second Story), ReliefWeb, Benawa,  and the MILNEWS Canada blog.

Afghan girls sing at the ACCC graduation

OTTAWA - Despite recent insecurity, more than two hundred students at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan graduated on November 2, 2009 from a professional education program funded largely by the Canadian International Development Agency.

“Through the education and support provided by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Government of Canada and the Canadian people, the Center has given us hope for a better future,” said Class Valedictorian Bibi Zhilla, “Now it is our responsibility to share this precious gift with others in  need.”

The ACCC provides professional education to approximately 1,000 students in Kandahar, more than half of them women. A group of 30 students have had the opportunity to study Business Management with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) via the Internet.

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan travelled to Calgary to receive an honourary degree from SAIT in June 2009. ACCC students had planned to accompany Ehsan during the trip, but were unable to do so for security reasons. This group of students received graduation certificates from SAIT during this ceremony.

The ACCC was founded by Ehsan in early 2007 with the support of the Afghan School Project, which sponsors student scholarships and provides the Center with educational equipment, such as computers and textbooks.

The Project is managed by the Canadian International Learning Foundation (CanILF), a registered Canadian charity. The Foundation also provides Canadians with the opportunity to communicate with students in Kandahar via www.theafghanschool.org and an online Pen Pal program.

“We are incredibly proud of what our students have achieved under such difficult circumstances,” said Ryan Aldred, President of CanILF, “With the assistance of the Government of Canada, we have helped the people of Kandahar to create a vibrant and thriving school which has made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of people.”

Several hundred students and graduates of the Afghan-Canadian Community Center have obtained long-term employment with local businesses and international organizations. On average, each employed student provides economic support to more than seven family members.

The high-speed Internet access will allow ACCC students to better study with variety of international education programs, including the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Business Management certificate program, Canada eSchool courses at the secondary level, and one-on-one ESL tutoring with the Alliance for International Women’s Rights over Skype. The staff of the ACCC can also now communicate with its partners around the world via real-time video-conferencing.  

Roshan is Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider and one of the country’s largest private employers. It has invested greatly towards improving Afghanistan’s socio-economic development. In addition to donating high-speed Internet to the ACCC, Roshan has also donated 18 LCD monitors and a projector. In recognition of this generous donation, the ACCC named one if the computer labs in Roshan’s honour. 

“Roshan” means “light” in both Dari and Pashto, the two national Afghan languages and they have lived up to their name. Roshan is not only an important player in the developing Afghan economy, but plays an important social role as well, with women making up twenty percents of Roshan’s workforce.  

The ACCC and the Afghan School Project look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Roshan as both organizations work to provide educational and employment opportunities to the people of Afghanistan.

ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan receives an honourary degree from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Ehsanullah Ehsan, Director of the Afghan-Canadian Community Center, was awarded an honourary degree by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology on June 2nd in recognition of his contribution to women’s education and human rights in Kandahar. In his acceptance speech, Ehsan delivered a moving tribute to those who had helped him to create the Afghan-Canadian Community Center:

“Through the support provided by SAIT, the Government of Canada and the Canadian people, we have given people hope for a better future. We have created what has been called ‘an oasis of decency and civility’ – a place where women and men alike can go to discuss, explore, understand and learn. The sight of beautiful Afghan girls glued to computers and books at the Centre is a symbol of the drastic social change taking root in Afghanistan. Everyone at SAIT should be very proud of what they have helped to create.

You – the great people of Canada – have shown incredible generosity in supporting my country and my educational initiatives. Individual donors and the Government of Canada have made significant contributions through the Canadian International Learning Foundation’s Afghan School Project, and through the Canadian International Development Agency. With this generous support, we are proudly moving the Afghan Canadian Community Centre – and the people of Afghanistan – toward self-sustainability and gender equality.”

Ehsanullah Ehsan delivers his acceptance speech

He also had his own words of wisdom to pass along to the SAIT graduating class of 2009:

“By receiving the knowledge imparted to you by your teachers, you have been entrusted with a sacred gift, one that few people in this world have the opportunity to receive. The importance of this knowledge cannot be over stated – it empowers men and women alike to support themselves, their families, and improve their community. Knowledge is the backbone of society, and the key to peace and prosperity.

I hope that you will use this gift to realize your dreams – and to help others realize theirs. As one of the keepers of the sacred gift of knowledge, you have a remarkable opportunity to share this gift and, by doing so, to save humanity from the threat of oppression, war and deprivation. I urge you, as citizens of the world, to use this knowledge not only to benefit yourselves, but to also create hope for those who would learn, if only given the chance.”

To view the speech in its entirety, please click here.

Ehsan also collected certificates on behalf of the ACCC students studying at SAIT, who were unable to make the trip to Canada for security reasons. Ehsan has since returned to Kandahar, and will soon be holding a ceremony to present the first cohort of SAIT students with their academic certificates.

Ehsan’s visit to Calgary was covered by numerous media outlets, including Global National, the Toronto Star, CBC, the Calgary Sun, the Calgary Herald, Canada AM, and the Winnipeg Free Press.

The Afghan School Project would like to thank everyone at SAIT, CIDA, and the Government of Canada who made his visit possible. To help us offer life-changing education to a greater number of women in Kandahar, please Donate.

June 1, 2009, Calgary, Alberta — Calgary, Alberta may be a long way from his home in Afghanistan, but Ehsanullah Ehsan will be at SAIT Polytechnic’s June 1st and 2nd graduation ceremonies to represent 12 female Afghan graduands unable to make the trek due to safety concerns.

Ehsan’s journey began with a vision to provide women in Afghanistan with something they never thought possible – an education. “We need to make every effort possible to ensure humanity has access to justice, education, love, freedom and prosperity,” said Ehsan, Director for the Afghan-Canadian Community Centre. “We should speak out and do what is required to ensure that men, women, boys and girls have free and open access to education. This should be done not only out of personal interest, but for the shared interests of humanity as a whole.”

Part of Ehsan’s vision became a reality through the Afghan School Project and online distance courses SAIT provides to females in Afghanistan who have had the courage to seek education while living in a country infamous for oppression of women.

“The courses these students studied were selected to provide the skills and knowledge that are in the greatest demand for the reconstruction and development of the Kandahar area,” says Gord Nixon, SAIT’s Vice President Academic. “The Afghan women will each receive the Business Management certificate for completing courses in project management, organizational behaviour, financial accounting, leadership development, human resource management and financial management.”

In 2007, the Afghan School Project, with the help of SAIT and financial donors, opened the Afghan-Canadian Community Centre in Kandahar with just two volunteers and 100 students, including the 12 women taking SAIT’s online program. Despite persecutions, threats, political turmoil, and an ultra-conservative culture that discourages educational opportunities for women, the school, which offers courses in business management, computing, health care and English as a Second Language, has grown to service more than 700 students. The Afghan-Canadian Community Centre is the only school in its area that offers vocational training for women.

“The Russians left for us arms and dumps of ammunition from which we have been suffering for decades. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban left for us the culture of extremism, terrorism, narrow-mindedness and suicides. But you – the great, the peaceful, the most generous Canadians – are leaving us with enlightenment,” says Ehsan.

About SAIT

SAIT Polytechnic has maintained close association with business and industry to ensure graduate success since 1916. SAIT offers 67 certificate, diploma, and applied degree programs as well as 33 apprenticeship programs, 300 distance education courses and 1,800 continuing education and corporate training courses. SAIT has delivered training in 30 countries around the world and has 79,000 course and program registrations each year. SAIT is a proud member of Polytechnics Canada.

As the leading centre for women’s education in Kandahar, the ACCC plays an important role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. ACCC Director Ehsanullah Ehsan delivered a speech praising the Afghan women “who are sacrificing for a peaceful and violence-free Afghanistan.” In just over two years, over 1,000 women have received an education under Ehsan’s direction that would have been unthinkable in Afghanistan a decade ago.

Several of the students gave speeches that highlighted the achievements of women in Kandahar and throughout the country. Thus far, over 90 female ACCC students have been hired by non-governmental organizations, development agencies and the Afghan government. Groups of students sang national songs and awards were given to students who have made a special contribution to the ACCC and the development of women’s rights. Globes were also presented to the students as gifts.

In honour of International Women’s Day, the Afghan Wireless Communication Company donated ten Internet-enabled SIM cards to the ACCC. In addition, Rohullah and Sultan Agha generously donated $1,000 towards program expenses at the school. Both of these donations will go a long way in helping the ACCC continue to provide education and Internet access to the women of Kandahar at no charge.

Following the ceremonies, all guests were invited to a potluck meal prepared by some of the ACCC’s students. Several students had prepared rice and others provided fruit and beverages. The refreshments provided were greatly appreciated by those in attendance.

The ACCC’s International Women’s Day ceremonies provided an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of Afghan women, and to recognize the challenges that still lie ahead. In the words of Mr. Ehsan, only “action without personal interest can bring not only the female population, but the entire nation of Afghanistan, a brighter future.”

Students and prominent women from across Kandahar attend the ACCC's International Women's Day celebrations

A group of Afghan girls sing in celebration of International Women's Day

Rona Tarin, Director of Women's Affairs in Kandahar, delivers a speech at the International Women's Day ceremonies

Ehsan Ullah delivers a speech at the ACCC's International Women's Day Ceremonies

The Alliance for International Women’s Rights (AIWR) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission to support the development of female leaders in developing countries, particularly in Central Asia. They match women in Central Asia to skilled professionals in developed countries who wish to use their skills and experience to further women’s education.

The ESL program is one of the Alliance’s Armchair Volunteer Programs, which take advantage of free Internet-based communication technology to help open the world to women in developing countries through long-distance volunteers. These volunteers bring their experience and professional skills to help build local capacity for women’s rights organizations, women politicians, women educators, and girls who have the potential to become future women leaders.

The English language training uses Skype, a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) application, to connect students and teachers on a one-to-one basis. These pairings will usually conduct two hour-long conversational English classes per week. Its focus on live instruction with native English speakers will be highly valuable for students at the ACCC.

By improving their English skills, Afghan women and girls can more easily reach out to the international community for information, advice and funding, as well as share their experiences with the rest of the world. This training will also help students develop the skills required to obtain high-paying employment and contribute to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan.

The partnership will provide personalized training for seven students at the ACCC. Should the program prove effective, the AIWR and the ACCC will consider further expanding the number of participants.