A Voice For the Voiceless
MISSION
The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice
FROM THE PHOTO LIBRARy
Traveling to Afghanistan
A Virtual Peace Tour
In mid-September, 2005, AP director Iain Guest departed on a six-week tour of Asia, visiting and reporting from six AP partners in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and Afghanistan. The American students “followed” Mr. Guest and through his blogs and photos, learned about how discrimination, poverty, child homelessness, and disasters like the tsunami can impact peace, and what kinds of things people do to help. They were able to draw their own conclusions about how these issues relate to education and the Omid schools, and many have addressed these issues in their “peace poetry.” 
Arriving in Noor Khel, Afghanistan
Nearly 80 percent of Afghanistan’s 6,900 schools were destroyed or damaged by war. An entire generation of girls has grown up without an education. According to some estimates, only one percent of the women in Afghanistan could read or write when the Taliban ruled. Afghanistan’s literacy rate has risen since the return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, but according to a recent report from the United Nations it still remains among the lowest in the world.
Mohammed shows off his
newly arrived letter from Miles.
For the girls of Noor Khel, building a relationship with their assignments is crucial for developing an interest in school and encouraging regular attendance. An international exchange, based upon asking and answering questions from peers and sharing photos and drawings of their own choice contributes to this goal without falling into the trap of “exporting American culture” through education.
With this in mind, Mr. Guest arrived at the Noor Khel school in Afghanistan with letters, photos, and artwork from the American students, as well as 20 disposable cameras. (Due to cultural constraints, the American boys were paired with boys in a nearby school.) The students of Noor Khel wrote their responses, learned to use the cameras, and took pictures to share with their learning partners.
Khadela writes back to her
new friend, Sloane.
Students were encouraged to involve their families in developing the materials they wished to share. The Afghan students created their own short autobiographies by answering in writing questions from their American peers and using a disposable camera (one per student) to share their lives and interests. The letters—written in Pashto—were translated and CVS Pharmacies generously donated much of the developing for the photos.
Here are some of the letters and photos from the students in Noor Khel:
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I am Khadela. I have a mother and a father, 4 brothers and a sister. I live in Band Check district of Wardak province. I am student at grade 4 of a school. My school doesn’t have walls and a roof. We are under a tent. It is hot in summer and it is cold in winter. I also love animals like you do. I love cats. I live in a part of the country where we have a lot of economic problems. I cannot keep a pet like you. I cannot afford to keep pets or birds. But I hope that one day the economic problems of my country will be over and I will be able to keep pets too. Any everybody would be able to keep the animals that they like. We have a baking place where we cook bread. They made this baking place for women of the district. I love milk and butter. Whenever I come back from school, I drink and eat together with my youngest sister. —Khadela Amin |
 One girl shows off the orchard in her village. |
 Another student poses with the family goat. |
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Thank you very much for your letter. I got very happy to receive your writing. I also want to introduce myself. I am Mohammad Munir from Check district of Noor Khel village. I am 12 years old. For fruits, I love apples very much. For food, I like okra very much. Among toys, I love balls. I love to play volleyball. We have a lot of economic problems in our country. I have to take care of expenses and to work. I will try to keep contacts with you and I hope that you will stay in touch with me. I will be very happy to write to you again. Goodbye. - Mohammad Munir |
.jpg) "And here is my class. . ." |
 The American children described their favorite foods. The Afghan children took pictures. |
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With lots of respect, Kobra Rahmani |
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Best regards, Your friend, Mohammad Zahir |
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- On The Record Archive
- Covering the UN
- Civil Society in Albania
- Afghanistan's Women & Girls
- Background on Afghanistan's Women and Girls
- Educating Afghanistan's Women and Girls
- US and Afghan Pen-pals
- Kicking Off Learning Partners
- Traveling to Afghanistan
- A Night of Peace
- Additional Resources
- Africa – Pygmies
- Bangladesh – Empowering the Blind
- Bosnia – War and Recovery
- Ecuador and Oil
- Guatemala – Indigenous Advocacy
- India – The Global Movement for Children
- Kosovo – Civil Society after the War
- Nepal – Democracy and Discrimination
- Nigeria – Trafficking to Europe
- Occupied Palestinian Territories
- Peru – The Search for Truth and Justice
- Roma and Gypsies
- Serbia – Fighting Repression
- Sri Lanka – Rebuilding After the Tsunami
- The World Bank and Human Rights
- UK Travellers and Dale Farm
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