Supporting Afghan Children in their Community

Our Early Childhood Development centres (kindergartens) are helping

young children in western Afghanistan to get the best possible start in life.

Plus we’re supporting street-working children back into school or training.

The war has devastated Afghanistan’s economy – and the social services that would normally act as a safety net for its poor and vulnerable people. Many women and children work on the streets or in the informal economy (collecting rubbish, selling phone cards, working in makeshift factories etc.) because it’s the only way to make ends meet and to put food on their family’s table. It is not just enough to tell a family to send their child to school. Sometimes they need extra help like financial assistance and training to be able to invest in their child’s education, without falling even further below the poverty line.

The lack of adequate social and healthcare systems have also led to Afghanistan having one of the worst child mortality rates on the planet. One in five children there won’t live to see their fifth birthday. Getting help to kids early on in their life is crucial as their early childhood development is critical to the rest of their lives.

What we're doing

Setting Up Early Childhood Development Centres
We have established more than 25 kindergartens for children aged 4-6. They give kids basic pre-school education, a daily snack and a chance for them to socialise with other children. It’s also a great opportunity for their mums to get together as many of them would otherwise stay at home alone all day. Our early childhood development centres play a crucial role in a child’s development at the most important time in their lives. Once we’ve set-up the centres, we continue to support them by helping their staff improve their skills by providing annual refresher training and try to respond to specific requests for assistance.

Social Worker training
We have worked with a local university to run a course training local people to become qualified social workers. The social workers not only work on cases within the city but they also visit the local Juvenile Detention Centre to ensure that the children are being treated fairly and their rights are being met. Case management is extremely important in making sure that children’s issues are properly followed up and dealt with so that the outcome is in the best interests of the child.

Resource Centres For Street-Working Children
These are safe places where children can come during the day and access a free education and support to either get back into mainstream school, or get some business skills, depending on how old they are. Literacy is the main barrier to getting a safer more secure form of employment and it helps children to know their rights. These young people are often supporting their families financially, but are stuck in hazardous, insecure forms of work. We’re also helping their mums to increase the family income so they and their children don’t have to work on the streets or in exploitative labour.

Establishing A Child Helpline
This is for vulnerable children and care providers to call and get some support or advice. People will be able to report cases of abuse, and children can call to get help if they feel they are in danger or are being exploited. It's one of the few outlets that children have to make sure they can get help. Our helpline is the crucial link between the risk and the remedy and it’s free for the majority of callers. We put callers in touch with the relevant service providers, who they would not otherwise know to contact.

Working With Local Employers
We’re helping to establish workplace safety standards so women and children aren’t exposed to hazardous or harmful working environments. Educating employers on better ways to work with and train their younger employees benefits both the businesses and the young people.