Problem and solution approach

After several visits to the school by our colleague on site and discussions with the headmaster, the teaching staff and some students, it became clear that the school needs urgent support. The core of the project is the construction of 12 classrooms, 4 offices, 6 toilets and a hand-washing facility. For this construction work, engineers recommended demolishing and rebuilding the school. At least six of the new classrooms and the toilet facility with six individual cabins will be fully accessible. The existing water pipes in the ground floor of the property will be tapped to supply the hand-washing system. The water will be pumped into the water tank by a new water pump, which in turn can be used to operate the new hand-washing facilities.

At the Mohammad Parsa primary school many teaching methods are outdated, and the courses are not very diverse, as there is a lack of training opportunities for teachers. That is why we are planning 12-day method and calligraphy workshops for the 22 teachers. To ensure that the students have the opportunity to also develop creativity, in addition to the classic teaching skills in the method workshops, teaching methods and content from creative subjects such as calligraphy, painting and drawing are also addressed. These are usually insufficiently addressed in the training of teachers, although calligraphy is an important, culturally anchored and respected art in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, WASH workshops (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) are planned for all students, teachers and employees of the school. They should playfully explain the use of water and the importance of hygiene. Through small exercises in the form of games or by means of a course, the students go through and internalize the entire hygienic processes of going to the toilet, the subsequent hand-washing or the correct brushing of teeth. In addition, relevant virus prevention measures are addressed in these workshops. This is very important especially with regard to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The virus spread enormously in Kabul, while many people could barely understand what was happening or why they should behave differently because information was not disseminated sufficiently.

In addition, there will be a small program at the end of the project to create ownership in the entire school community. This means that they can identify with the new structures and develop personal responsibility. This includes, for example, the joint painting of a selected school wall or the sanitary facilities. This shall create a feeling of belonging and pride towards the school and motivates everyone to attend school and maintain the structures.

Another activity relates to our local partner organization OASE. They are still in the process of development but consist of members of our long-term partner organization VUSAF, with which we have successfully completed several projects in Afghanistan. OASE expressed a need for training to support their development, which we are very happy to meet. Topics being considered related to organizational development – such as creation of the vision, mission, strategy, objectives, responsibilities and roles in the team.

In order to measure the project‘s impact on the quality of learning, a professional external evaluation is planned. The results will help us to plan and implement future projects even more effectively.

The total project costs of the mentioned measures amount to approx. €482,621. The BMZ is subsidizing this project in the amount of around €321,000. We receive further financial support for this project from the Cetto Foundation, the Stiftung Asienbrücke, the Kinderbeirat Hannover and München, the Nader Etmenan Stiftung and HAWAR.help. For raising the remaining funds, we are still dependent on donations.