Afghan Australian Development Organisation Education For A Better Future

1. Afghan Australian Development OrganisationEducation For A Better Future

2. Philanthropy Australia Presentation Feb 18 2014By Dr NouriaSalehi OAM & Ms Bianca Pilla • Introduction to AADO • Education in Afghanistan 2002 – 2014 • AADO’s Current Programs • Financial Stewardship • Key objectives 2014 - 2016

3. INTRODUCTION TO AADO • AADO founded by Dr NouriaSalehi in 2002 • AADO provides education and training programs for thousands of disadvantaged Afghans across 10 provinces in Afghanistan • AADO is committed to supporting sustainable development through a ‘community development’ model ‘Education is vital to reducing poverty and creating sustainable development for communities in Afghanistan’

4. INTRODUCTION TO AADO • AADO’s Community Development Approach • The work of AADO is guided by the principle that education is one of the key cornerstones in ensuring poverty reduction and sustainable development • AADO delivers its development programs in collaboration with local Afghan partners via close-knit networks • All AADO programs are identified and developed through consultation and participation with local communities, and endorsed by, Afghan regional and provincial leaders and village elders • Recognition of Afghan culture and traditions is integral to the design and delivery of AADO’s programs • AADO does not pay bribes

5. Education in Afghanistan 2002 – 2014: Progress & challenges Children Studying in Tents 2002 Girls studying in Dawuzdai Primary 2012

6. Education in Afghanistan 2002 – 2014: Progress & challenges • Key statistics- progress in Education • From 2002 – 2012 enrolment in general education increased from 900,000, including 50,000 female students (5.5%), to 7.3 million, including 2.4 million female students (33%) • Since 2002 the number of schools increased from 6,040 to 14,456; and the number of teachers nearly tripled to 181,640- including 32 % female teachers in 2012 • Source: Ministry of Education, Education Interim Plan, 2012

7. Afghanistan 2002 - 2014 • Key statistics- challenges in Education • Only 30 % of Afghanistan's 181,640 teachers have post-secondary or higher qualification • While 1.9 million girls are enrolled in primary school (grades 1 - 6) 416,854 are enrolled in secondary school (7 - 9) and 122,480 in high school (10 - 12). As girls get older, the gender gap widens

8. AADO’S ACHIEVEMENTS 2002- 2014 • In 12 years of operation AADO has trained: • 1050 Rural women and girls in comprehensive life skills training • 1393 in-service science and mathematics teachers, in up-dated theoretical, practical and pedagogical skills and methods • 624 tertiary and secondary Master science teacher trainers, in up-dated theoretical, practical and pedagogical skills, and training of trainers curriculum • 47 Street working boys aged 14-18 in trade-level carpentry and joinery • 80 year 12 students in ‘a step to tertiary education’ • AADO has completed the following capital works projects: • Installed 7 deep-well water pumps servicing over 20,000 students • Built a community centre in Dawuzdaivillage Qarabagh, servicing 5 villages

9. AADO’s Current Programs • Master Science Teacher Training • Training Master Science Teacher Trainers to modernize learning and improve educational outcomes for Afghan students • Life Skills Project • Empowering rural women and girls through education in literacy, numeracy, health, hygiene, life skills & vocational training • Carpentry Technical and Vocational Education & Training • Providing trade level skills to street-working boys to enable safer, stronger futures • Humanitarian Relief • Creating a safe and healthy environment for internally displaced people

10. Master Science Teacher Training • Many Afghan educators have little or no formal training and are therefore unable to teach their students to the standard required for higher education. The poor quality of education follows through to universities. New teachers are graduating with no ability to teach practical experiments, and so the cycle continues. • Under AADO’s previous in-service teacher training program, 1393 Afghan teachers were re-trained helping approximately 64,828 senior secondary students gain a better future. • A physics trainee says that “Six months of receiving training in AADO was like a doing degree in university for me. According to my experiences there will be so many changes on my students’ education.”

11. The Life Skills Project • “The biggest point of changing my life is becoming aware of my rights and now I can defend my life and my rights too. Before I didn’t know about my rights, but by being a member of AADO’s training course…I became very powerful.” Says Magul. • When you educate a woman like Magul you create communities with the potential for lasting economic and social growth. • Magul says “Now I feel happy because my life condition is better than before, and I am able to send my children to school. I am so grateful to AADO for providing of life skill training course.”

12. Carpentry Technical Vocational Education & training • Atsmatullah was selling cigarettes and collecting scrap metal on the streets of Kabul before he was accepted into AADO’s carpentry project. He couldn’t afford schooling and wanted to help pull his family out of poverty. • Afghanistan’s street-working boys are some of the most vulnerable people in the country. Daily they are exposed to extreme risks and dangers in order to provide for their families. • “Everyone likes to help their family to get rid of poverty, and I never dreamed of how I would do this, but now I am learning something from carpentry and going to school.Now it is possible that I could reach that dream.” Says Atsmatullah

13. Humanitarian Relief • When you’re living in an illegal displacement camp, daily life is a struggle. • Access to water is an enormous problem as is a lack of proper sanitation. Disease spreads quickly in camps with small children often being the worst affected. Work is hard to find, and most families do not get enough to eat. Constantly worrying about feeding your family, the threat of eviction and dealing with the trauma of displacement takes a toll. • AADO provides around 250 families with blankets and food during winter and times of severe crisis, and school books and solar lights to enable women and children access to education.

14. Financial Stewardship AADO’s current donors and partners include: The Planet Wheeler Foundation, DAK foundation, Portland House Foundation, Cabrini Mission, and Cubit Family Foundation

15. Financial Stewardship

16. Key Objectives 2014 - 2016 • Secure funding to launch the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Project, training 720 smallholder farmers in horticulture, focused on female headed households, over 3 years; • Secure funding to train a further 400 Master Science Teacher Trainers across a further 8 provinces in Afghanistan, over 2 years; • Introduce more marketing activities focused at building a wider public funding and supporter base in Australia; • Establish a formal volunteer framework and employ a part-time a volunteer coordinator, to harness the skills and in-kind contributions of volunteers; • Lobby the Australian government for increased funding opportunities for local, grassroots NGOs working in Afghanistan.

17. THANK YOU