Dateline ACT

Afghanistan 11/02

A 'safe place' builds a foundation for a better future

Kabul, Afghanistan, November 3, 2002
By Chris Herlinger (Church World Service)

Church World Service is a member of ACT International

With row after row of bombed out buildings, western Kabul is an ugly and inhospitable place: it was here that the worst fighting took place during the civil war of the early 1990s.

The subsequent neglect by the Taliban did little to improve conditions, and the Taliban's harsh rule mirrored the brutality of the surroundings.

This is not a place to feel secure, particularly if you are a child - a fact not lost to Afghan human rights groups slowly trying to build a foundation for a future in which tolerance and dignity, rather than hatred and conflict, become the watchwords for Afghanistan.

One of Afghanistan's most prominent human rights groups, the Cooperation Center for Afghanistan (CCA), has taken that commitment to heart, developing a children's rehabilitation center. With assistance from Church World Service, the CCA program is providing some 100 children, ages 8-14, a place to come to before or after school. Many of the children are orphans or lost at least parent to war; others have parents who can't work or having trouble finding work in Afghanistan's continued pinched economy. The curriculum supplements what the children are learning in school - tolerance, a sense of pride and well-being, education about safety, the environment, health and landmines - as well as providing them time for recreation and a snack.

On a recent afternoon, students representing a variety of ethnic groups enjoyed milk and rolls before a little recreation in the play yard; they also recited poetry. Asked by a visitor if they had enjoyed their time at the center, the quiet and respectful students broke out in raucous acclaim: "Yes!" Asked why, dozens of answers came bubbling to the surface, one of them being safety: they feel safe and nurtured at the center - many even come early and some linger once sessions are over.

Adorning the walls of the classrooms are posters of rural Afghanistan - the country's beautiful landscapes, which seem very far from the harsh streets of Kabul - as well as a poster featuring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Dari, the local language.

These displays are no accident: the scenic posters are intended to give children a sense that there is more to Afghanistan than war; the human rights declaration is a reminder of the need for children to respect one another. "We really want them to develop as peace-loving citizens," said Mohammad Daud Shojazada, the center's coordinator, and live in an atmosphere of cooperation with others."

"They will be the guide for the future."