We train 1,000 in-service teachers each year in rural districts of Afghanistan. We have seen how literacy thrives when students have access to reading material. Yet, schools rarely have libraries. The public library system has been decimated. Most books in Afghanistan are imported.

In support of active learning, we provide teacher trainees with educational tools and resources. That is why we try to equip each school where we train teachers with materials to facilitate the hands-on education methods. Each school receives one School Science Lab Starter Kit and one School Library Starter Kit, at a cost of approximately $3000 per school.

To produce the School Library Starter Kits, CW4WAfghan partners with the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU) to provide small local language libraries to not only schools, but also community libraries and women’s organizations, through our Afghanistan Lowalee! (Afghanistan Reads!) program. ACKU works with Afghan professors to write, illustrate and publish high quality books for new readers on a variety of topics, from animal husbandry to history to poetry. 500 volumes are then placed in a portable shelving unit, with a catalogue and sign-out book included. So far we’ve equipped 220 schools.

We are seeking support to equip five more high schools in Parwan province, where we just concluded training. CW4WAfghan will match LEAP’s donation for the Library Kits by funding the Science Lab Kits for these five schools. We will deliver an orientation for each school in using the library, as well as monitoring and continued support.