Notes from Razia

December 2009

The second year of the Zabuli Education Center has ended on a positive note. We did not experience any violence, rocket attacks, throwing of hand grenades, or kidnappings. It’s a very scary situation for little girls; there’s a lot to worry about on a daily basis. There is a sigh of relief after each day passes without incident.

This year we had 250 girls in kindergarten through fifth grade. Most of them did well and will move to upper classes. Next year we will have a sixth grade.

The regular school year has ended, but we will continue with winter classes. These classes are offered to a select group of students. We will have three groups and they will be taught English, math, and Dari. This program will end before the official start of our third year of school.

I personally thank all of you for supporting these precious little girls so that they might have great futures. We’re depending on them — and to do that, we’re depending on you.

September 2009

We recently held our midterm exams for students in grade one through grade five. It took two weeks to complete both oral and written exams. The only class that was exempt was the kindergarten, but for those two weeks we made sure that our littlest students maintained their regular schedule.

Two weeks after the exams were completed, everyone received their report cards. When the kindergarteners realized that they were not going to receive report cards, the little munchkins demanded to have their exams and report cards. Their pleas were so heartfelt that we had to accommodate their request. Teachers began to administer oral exams to the kindergarten class. It took two days, and then the students were given report cards — which were laminated, just like the report cards of the older girls, after being signed with the signature or thumb mark of their parents.

Our kindergarten students have demonstrated their determination to be treated like everyone else at school, and that they are not afraid of working hard. We’re proud of these students, and how they exemplify the spirit of the Zabuli Education Center.

August 2009

You are watching a miracle unfold in front of your eyes. It is a real journey that these girls are going through: from ignorance to knowledge, from repression to freedom, from darkness to hope. We all welcome you to see and learn about the first girls’ school outside of Kabul in the village of Deh’Subz (which means green village). Two-hundred and fifty beautiful, quiet, adorable, and charming girls 4 to 14 years of age are enjoying a taste of learning and the freedom of being a child — and forgetting the hardship and hunger for few hours. It is a great accomplishment in a short time. I hope that you will become part of this beautiful journey, hand in hand with our dream, sharing the hope.