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The Future of Afghanistan
In august 2001 I set foot in the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul. Soil that very few American teens had seen in two decades of war. I accompanied my mom Terri Grauel who is working on her own project to help Afghan women through a non- government organization called PARSA (physiotherapy and rehabilitation support for Afghanistan.) PARSA is a small American NGO working directly with the needy people of Kabul, particularly woman and children. My project goal is to provide youth who are three or more grade levels behind in school with an accelerated curriculum so they can be placed in the appropriate age and grade level in public school. I am currently raising money for school supplies, the salaries of teachers and facility expenses for a classroom. I am currently lecturing at schools in New York, writing a photo essay and hosting benefits at my boarding school to raise money and awareness. My school Northfield Mount Hermon in western Massachusetts is also involved in donating various basic materials missing from afghan classrooms such as chalk, notebooks, pencils and we hope computers to the off track-school programs and public schools.
This project especially helps the young women of Afghanistan since they were denied an education by the Taliban from a very young age. For most Afghan children education is a luxury they cannot afford. Decades of fighting and oppression turn Kabul into a city of youth who are denied an education and most forced to work to support their families. I was surprised to find many of the elementary school children in public school selling cigarettes on the street after school. Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and oppression but will not come in effect if children continue to work to support their families.
The first day in Kabul was like landing on another planet whose people are rich in culture and tradition much different from ours. Nothing in the states could have prepared my eyes for what I saw in Afghanistan. I interviewed many afghan teens and slowly started to see for myself the perspective of an Afghan youth whose country after two decades of fighting has a chance to rebuild and eventually become a Democracy and thus a role model for the rest of the Middle East. One of my best friends in Afghanistan Zilguy our driver who is 17 talked with me constantly about politics, the Taliban, woman’s rights and tutored me on the daily life and traditions of Afghan people. Everyday was busy and full of opportunities. I spent much of my time taking pictures, interviewing teens and also went to an Afghan wedding. One of my most unforgettable experiences was visiting a bombed out high school in the heart of the city. I asked many of the classes in session what supplies were need in the classroom and most responded with all of the materials teachers in America would find impossible to teach without, such as notebooks, pencils, textbooks, chalk and blackboards. I was amazed by the answers I received when I asked a class of juniors what they wanted to do after high school, many replied with the hopes of becoming doctors, journalists, engineers and one man even hoped to become the President of Afghanistan. The positive future of these bright young Afghans flashed before my eyes. I was inspired to make a difference. At one point in my series of questions a bright young man came face to face with me with compassion in his eyes and bravely asked “I’m a student - you’re a student - how you can help us?” I responded with a smile and began to explain my project plan of raising money from donations and getting my boarding school to donate school supplies. I noticed after answering his question I had gained the interest of the Afghan sophomores, I was on their level. Sophomore to sophomore halfway around the world a connection was made and a friendship is in the making. Afghanistan is now free of the Taliban and is a country in transition; the future of Afghanistan needs a helping hand for some 50,000 kids working on the street of Kabul without the prospect of an education.
Another enlightening experience occurred when Zilguy, my mom and I were driving through the dusty streets of Kabul looking for teens working in bakeries. Most of the boys I had interviewed had nothing much to say and have been working all their life without an education. I was particularly struck by one teen baker. When I asked the boy “Would you like to go to school?” he responded with a dull “nah”. Although this boy had nothing much to say I could see in the way he moved he has the potential to be a very educated, he also had one of the very rare skills of memorizing the Koran. That very night I was restless and contemplated different scenarios in my mind. If only he didn’t have to support his family he’d be an A student! From that night on there was no doubt in my mind my project has the potential to change lives.
When my mom and I returned to New York we both had a new outlook on life and I now saw how truly fortunate I was. Was I changed or matured from this experience? My purpose in life seemed set to share my education and luxury with those who have none. I’ve seen the terrible destruction the Taliban and feel obligated to help rebuild with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. As a teenager I know I was able to relate, understand and grow to find a companionship with Afghan teenagers. Now I see it as my obligation through this project to give US teens a chance to help their afghan counterpart.
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Shawn Grauel
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