News story: New School Building Raises Hope for Afghan Girls

In a remote village in the far north of Afghanistan, hundreds of girls were deprived of educational opportunities. It was very difficult for them to study effectively as they had to share the local boys’ school and there was overcrowding. However, Afghan Connection, a multi-funded organisation to which UK is a donor, has supported the construction of a separate school building for nearly 600 of these girls.

The school project started in 2014, and three years later, there is now a new two-storey school building, with eight classrooms and four admin rooms. The Afghan Ministry of Education, through its District Education Department runs this school. The building has transformed the working environment for pupils and teachers by creating a safe environment where girls can be taught at well-furnished classrooms with chairs and desks.

The transformation of this school will also encourage more parents to send their daughters to school in the first place which will benefit everyone in the community.

One of the 12th grade students, Fawzia, said:

The new school is located in the heart of our village and on the best side of the valley. All the girls are happy to have such a nice school.

The UK is proud to support girls’ education across Afghanistan. Afghan Connection funds and supports schools, teachers and sports opportunities, especially in rural areas. With the UK and other partners, it has built 44 schools across Afghanistan, which currently educate over 50,000 children.