Your support will help ACKU continue to provide accessible information about Afghanistan through its resource center and box library program to people throughout Afghanistan and the world.
Dear Friends,

We are pleased to report that the  Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU), five years after moving into its new building, has become the leading research center on the history and culture of Afghanistan. Thanks to Nancy Hatch Dupree's careful planning, and ACKU's dedicated staff and Board of Directors, ACKU is continuing its work to promote Nancy's vision of nation-building through information-sharing.

ACKU is a vibrant and dynamic Afghan organization that has been led by Executive Director Abdul Waheed Wafa since 2011. Under Waheed's leadership, ACKU has increased and diversified its funding, including income generation from its own activities, laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability. 

ACKU welcomes approximately 3,400 users per month, a four-fold increase over the last six years. ACKU hosts ten times the number of workshops and events it did six years ago, and has recently undertaken its own research project on migration, in conjunction with City University, London. ( more below)

Nancy inspired ACKU staff to learn and grow, and strive for excellence in their work. Under Waheed's leadership, ACKU has become well-respected institution with a solid future. Your support will help ACKU can continue to be the manifestation of Nancy's legacy.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season and New Year. 

Sincerely,



Andrew H. Brimmer
Chair		 Laura J. Marks
Executive Director


GlaceACKU at a Glance

In 2017, ACKU

- digitized more than 56,440 items in the collection
- added nearly 8,800 new items to its collection
- provided Internet access to 3,350 users per month
- updated 255 box libraries
- assisted 64 on-site researchers
- hosted over 31 conferences and events
- held 31 training sessions
- published 11 new books titles

MemFund Support Nancy's Legacy
To support the continuation of the Nancy's lifework, please visit www.dupreefoundation.org/donate.htm

Nancy listening to simultaneous translation, 
Libraries in Afghanistan: Challenges for Today and Tomorrow , ACKU, February 2017
TributesTributes from Around the World

Nancy will be sorely missed but her legacy of scholarship and passion for the culture and history of Afghanistan will remain to benef¡t us all through ACKU.
Fiona Gall, Director
 Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR)


We are deeply saddened by the loss of Nancy Dupree, a pillar of the American community in Afghanistan for many decades, whose love for this country and dedication to its culture and history will be forever remembered... Future generations will remember Ms. Dupree as a wonderful example of the strength of U.S.-Afghanistan relations and friendship. May we honor her example in decades to come by working for a common goal of building lasting fraternal ties between our nations.
Amb. Hugo Llorens, Chargé d'Affaires
U.S. Embassy in Kabul


Nancy Dupree's extraordinary (and selfless) dedication to Afghanistan will not be forgotten.
Saad Mohseni, Director
Moby Group


Very saddened by the death of Nancy Dupree. Afghans value and respect her services of decades for Afghanistan. Nancy will be missed!
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah,  Chief Executive
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan


Nancy Dupree, a loving daughter of Afghanistan, is no more with us. May God bless her soul. Nancy spent decades of her life collecting and preserving Afghan history and cultural heritage. Her immense love enabled her to serve and live in Afghanistan even in ill-health and old age. Afghanistan will keep her in affectionate memory. 
H.E. Hamid Karzai, former President
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

ResearchAfghan Migration Research Project
Since its inception, ACKU has promoted research through workshops and seminars, but had not conducted its own research. In 2017, ACKU initiated its first research project, in partnership with City, University of London. 

The project came about as a response to the growing apprehension and restrictions in Europe and the US that have affected Afghan migration. The project, entitled "Stopping It at the Source: Migration Decision- and Policy-Making in Afghanistan,"  looks at the impact of migration on Afghans inside and outside of Afghanistan.

Four Afghan researchers have been hired by ACKU to conduct the seminars and compile data. Papers from the project will be published in Dari and Pashto as part of ACKU's Research Paper series, and will be presented in the ACKU Research Seminar series. Articles in English and French will be submitted to international peer reviewed journals. 




Research seminar on migration in Afghan oral culture
Attendees of decision-making seminar













NewLib ABLE to Read
ACKU's Box Library Extension Program (ABLE) opened ten new locations in 2017:  Guru Har Rai Sahiba Ji Community Library in Kabul;  Ashdahar Community Library in Bamiyan;  Chino Kalai Community Library in Sha Joy, Zabul;  Farokhi High School in Zaranj, Nimroz; Surkh Abad Girls High School in Logar; Mulana Khasta Community Library in Balk; Barlan Sad Khana Boys High School in Daikondi; Gabriel Girls High School in Herat; Jawzjan Community Library in Jawzjan; and Badghis Community Library in Badghis.

These ABLE libraries, along with 245 additional high school and community libraries, provide critical reading material and reading space for children and adults throughout Afghanistan. They are supplied with easy-to-read books published by ABLE, which have been written and printed locally. In addition to supplying ABLE libraries throughout the country, ABLE sells its publications to other entities who stock their own libraries.

Income generated by ABLE goes back into the project, allowing more people to have access to reading material that is both useful and interesting.

Wardak Library
Wardak Library












Wardak Library


Girls High School Library_ Herat
Girls High School Library_ Herat












Bamiyan Library

More than 9.2 million children Afghanistan attend school, up from 1 million in 2002. 39% of them are girls.
Source: USAID
NewBksNew ABLE Books
ACKU added eleven new titles to its collection in 2017, bringing to the total of ABLE publications to 361.

ABLE book topics range from art, ethics, democracy and sociology. These new titles were added to ABLE libraries throughout Afghanistan.

The Concepts of Democracy and Elections
When the Kids are Happy










Afghanistan's Rug Industry
Ethics in Social Media











BookClubBook clubs are as popular as ever
The literature reading groups read and discussed number of books written by  national and foreign authors i ncluding  The Voice of The Wild by Jack London, Seize the Da y by Saul Bellow, Manual of Painting and Calligraphy by
Jose Saramago, Madam Bovary by Gustavo Flaubert, Ignorance by Milan Kundera, Portrait of
Sepia by Isabelle Allende and If on a Winter's Night by Italo Calvino. 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS     
Andrew H. Brimmer, Chair | Sarah O'Hagan, Secretary |  Robert J. Breen | Sandra Cook Peter B. de Neufville |  Ashraf Ghani |  M. Ashraf Haidari | Sheila M. Platt | David Rohde 
J. Alexander Thier
 
ADVISORY COUNCIL     
Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., Convener | George Biddle | Lakhdar Brahimi | John A. Gastright, Jr. Said T. Jawad | Tony Kushner |  Spozhmai Maiwandi | Ronald E. Neumann | Nicholas Platt Mary Anne Weaver | Catherine W. Wilkinson

IN MEMORIAM   
Nancy Hatch Dupree, Founder
Mary Anne Schwalbe, Co-Founder
Laura J. Marks, Executive Director

Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation| (917) 546-9369 |   Email | Website
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