Education
Education is the foundation to improving life in Afghanistan. Over 60% of Afghans are under the age of 25 - this presents significant potential for the country's future. We need to work together to ensure that we equip Afghan youth with the education and support needed to not only survive but to thrive. AWAKEN has founded the Qala-e-Malakh School to provide primary education for thousands of children and also provides university scholarships to support higher education.
Qala-e-Malakh School
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Women in Afghanistan receive 2 years of schooling on average
The Qala-e-Malakh School has 1,860 students in grades 1-12. Twenty percent of the school’s students are girls, an amazing statistic in a country that didn’t allow any girls to go to school under the Taliban’s reign, from 1994 to 2001.
Before 2004, the village of Qala-e-Malakh, in the Behsood District, had no physical school building. Classes were held in an outdoor courtyard, and girls had very limited opportunities to get an education.
AWAKEN addressed these problems in 2004 by building the Qala-e-Malakh School, which, at first, had six classrooms for 221 students in grades 1-6. Our space and numbers have since expanded and we now have 1960 students enrolled.
1,900+ boys and girls currently enrolled from grades 1-12
3,000+ graduated students
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The Qala-e-Malakh School is a rare treasure in the Behsood District, especially for girls, who otherwise would have no opportunity for formal education. (While boys can be sent to another village to attend school, girls don’t share that same privilege.) Thousands of young Afghans have experienced the transformative power of education, thanks to AWAKEN.
Once the school was well-established, AWAKEN turned over management of the school to the Afghan government, but today it still remains involved in staffing, facilities, and programmatic needs. AWAKEN also encourages enrollment and attendance of female students.
University Scholarship Program
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Gross enrollment for Afghans attending university is below 10%. For women, enrollment is less than 5%.
Each year AWAKEN provides university scholarships to deserving graduates of the school—both men and women—covering their tuition, room, and board, as well as the mentorship they need to be successful.
Given 46 percent (11.7 million) of Afghans are under 15 years of age, education and specifically university education will play an integral role in improving the future of Afghanistan.
Breakdown of our university scholarship students by field of study (Updated March 2020)
100+ students graduated with our program
$18,000+ in scholarships per year to support students in need
22+ students currently enrolled