Education is one of the biggest challenges facing modern Afghanistan. Continuous conflict destroyed the hopes of formal education for children and teens in many communities in the country, leaving a sizeable portion of the population without the fundamental skills needed to become productive members of society. Because many parents are unable to read or perform basic math, they cannot help their children with homework, which only perpetuates the problem. Now, Afghanistan has entered into a critical period of development, and education will be critical for achieving security and financial independence.
In response to the need for education, the Bayat Foundation has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve access to and quality of education in Afghanistan. With the support of donors, the Bayat Foundation has focused especially on creating opportunities for the nation’s most vulnerable individuals, including orphaned children and refugees. For example, the foundation provided funding to repair and refurbish the Tahya Maskan Orphanage & Learning Center in Kabul’s Parwin District. This upgrade meant that children could attend school in classrooms without puddles of water and cracked walls.
Also focused on the need for girls’ education, the foundation helped finance renovations to the Chill Dokhtaran Girls School in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood. The school previously had only dirt pathways that would become slippery and dangerous in the rain. With gravel, the students were able to walk to class safely. The foundation also donated 100 double-seat desks to classrooms and additional furnishings for administrators.
Working in collaboration with the Ayenda Foundation, the Bayat Foundation also provided for the construction of a new facility, the Ayenda Learning Center and Orphanage, in Bamyan Province. Established in 2008, the school has 24 rooms and now serves more than 400 students. To support higher education, the foundation has also made donations of textbooks to Nangarhar University and Maimana University.