|
Dear Budd,
In the Summary of Afghanistan and Trust in Education newsletter I sent on the 25th of July I wrote the following:
LIBRARIES
We just opened our eighth library and received a donation that will enable us to open two more within a month. Below is what Mujeeb wrote about the next two.
"Library No.9 will be located in the 7th district of Kabul city. It is a densely populated area where most of the residents are poor. In this area, there is no private or government course or library that the children of the area can use.
Library No.10 will be located in the 13th district of Kabul city, the most populated area of Kabul city, and its people are extremely poor.The residents of district 13 are of the Hazara race, a group that loves studies and education. Their children have achieved many successes in the field of education.
Due to the capacity of the classes, for each library we expect at least 100 students to attend classes regularly, while in each library more than 200 students will use the computers per month."
I am particularly pleased with the selection of district 13. The Hazaras are a harassed, persecuted and mistreated ethnic minority within Afghanistan. They do, as Majeeb wrote, "love to educate their children. “
Our 8 libraries at the end of June were being utilized by 787 students on a regular basis. If libraries 9 and 10 will each be used by 100 students on a regular basis, that will put the regular library utilizers at 987. The total utilization (regular and occasional) will be in excess of 1,000 students.
As you may recall the Taliban ruled that women cannot teach boys and men can not teach girls. Our libraries have historically been run by women and will for the time being continue to be. Therefore, the thousand plus students using our libraries will be girls. It's certainly reasonable, given that currently there is public education for boys and not for girls above the sixth grade.
The libraries’ average absentee rate continues to be 2% by the way. I’m convinced it’s this low because the girls want to learn and our libraries get them out of the house. Our libraries are social centers for girls who aren’t at liberty to be outside their homes and are afraid to leave.
GREAT NEWS— LIBRARIES 9 AND 10 ARE NOW OPEN THANKS TO THE JULIA BURKE FOUNDATION!
Visit the foundation's website for more information about the Foundation and the amazing work it's funding. juliaburkefoundation.com
We began in 2003 by providing the funding to build one school, impacting the lives of hundreds. Today we're having direct impact on thousands, thanks to your support over the years.
Budd
| 
