First Day of School, Ever, for Rural Afghans

Across rural villages in mountainous Afghanistan, children can be seen making their way to school alongside mothers and older sisters carrying books for their own accelerated learning courses. The daily sight of their walk along a dirt path may not be remarkable in other parts of the world, but this is a place traumatized by war, where families struggle to make ends meet and traditional conservative practices are prominent. Their footprints mark a major change in the path of education in Afghanistan.

For most children here, this is their first day of school, ever. Just five or six years ago, education was an opportunity reserved for brothers, husbands and fathers, and only if the family had the means to send them to a government school, possibly several miles away.

Since 2003, Catholic Relief Services has been working with local partners in rural Afghan communities to strengthen access to schools and quality education for boys, girls and young women who missed out on education during the Taliban's formal rule. Key to our success is the involvement of families who want an education for their children, but have not had the means to make it possible.

Here we introduce you to some students, teachers and parents on their very first day of school.

Photos by Agustinus Wibowo for CRS unless otherwise noted.

Caroline Brennan is South Asia regional information officer for Catholic Relief Services. She has reported on CRS activities for the Pakistan earthquake, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Darfur crisis, and post-war development in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan, among others. Caroline is based in New Delhi, India.