Greetings!  

Recently I wrote that we would reopen our ten computer libraries when we could. They were being used by over one thousand girls a day on December 19th, when the Taliban government forbade Afghan women from working for nonprofit organizations. On December 20th they stayed home as did the fourteen women who were working for us.

As you may recall, when the Taliban first took control in August 2021 they ruled that women could not teach boys and men could not teach girls. At the time our libraries were run by women. Consequently, the boys had to stay home.

Notwithstanding, the loss of millions of dollars of financial support provided by very large aid organizations, the prohibition continues. Some exceptions have been made in providing healthcare. They simply can't provide healthcare to women if women are not allowed to be treated by men.

We're being publicly accused by some Taliban leaders of not understanding "their culture". We do. It doesn't make sense except to male supremacists.. Their interpretation of Sharia law will ultimately fail. 

MEANWHILE;

What we can do we are.. We purchased fifty five tablets for $65 each and Mujeeb loaded them with educational programs and software. The tablets contain everything an Afghan child would learn from the first grade through the twelfth . He added youtube videos that are entertaining and educational i.e. magic acts, exceptionally gifted children playing the piano or singing, hawks swooping down to catch a fish, videos of mountains, lakes, cities, and places in the world the children will likely never see. They may not be able to travel but their minds can.
We've begun loaning the tablets to the sponsored families, prioritizing those who have girls. They have two months. Mujeeb will after two months assess how committed they have been to learning. He'll give more time when warranted. If two months proves to be enough the tablets can be loaned to six families in a year. We are bringing education into homes where every member of a family will be able to learn. What's loaded into the tablets will be adjusted over the time and can be tailored to fit each family's' needs. 

I've been asked whether this puts the families at risk. We certainly hope the Taliban don't exercise that level of control. But, it is a risk each family will decide to take or not. Time will tell. Being the head librarian of a tablet library is a risk Mujeeb has willingly assumed..

I also previously wrote that we would focus this year on vocational training. Below is a photo of our first cell phone repair class that started a couple of weeks ago. Ten young men were chosen from the sponsored families and entered into a forty day cellphone repair class. The cost per student is $50, which TIE paid. When they graduate they will each need repair equipment costing around $100, which TIE will provide. The total cost to provide them with a career or small business is therefore $150.
I'm very pleased to report that we've yet to have a sponsor not renew their sponsorship for another year. As a result we've been able to add ten more sponsored families, bringing the total to eighty-nine, with eighty-two now active in the program. The profiles Mujeeb sends us continue to be compelling. Two of our newly sponsored are below—

How many Afghans now know they have a place to stay and food to eat for a year? 114 adults, including 39 widows and 2 families without a parent, and 238 children. To learn about sponsoring a family click here.

It's ridiculously inexpensive, isn't it, to change the trajectory of their lives?

Budd
Ahmad Zia's Family
Ahmad Zia is 37 years old and he is educated. Before the political changes in Afghanistan, he used to distribute newspapers and make a living with a minimum salary of around 40 US dollars a month. Ahmed Zia's wife died from a heart attack 4 years ago and he is now solely responsible for their 3 children and he aslo cafres for his elderly mother, Noor Bano, who is 80 years old.

Ahmad Zia's eldest son, Emaduddin, is 13 years old and in 7th grade. His daughter, Maryam, is 12 years old and in 6th grade.
His youngest son, Ahmadzai, 7 years old is in 1st grade.

They rent a house on top of the mountain, 500 meters above the city level, for 1500 Afghanis ($16.50 USD)
Abdul Khaliq's Family
Abdul Khaliq is 66 years old, he was a military officer before the political changes.
After the collapse of the previous regime, he was removed from his duties. His wife's name is Najiba, she is also unemployed. Now that he has lost his ability to work, the family has been making a living for the past three months by selling their household goods.

Abdul Khaliq's son, Fawad, went to work in Iran last year, but after a year, the family has no contact from Fawad. Fawad's wife Rakiya and their three children live and are supported by Abdul Khaliq.

Rakiye's eldest child, Setayesh, is 10 years old and is in 4th grade. Her son, Shukran, is 8 years old and in 2nd grade. Setayesh and Shukran are both excellent students.
Abdul Rahman is Rakiya's youngest child, and he is two years old.

They live in a rented house with two rooms for 3000 Afghanis ($33USD) per month
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