Nowadays, Afghanistan makes worldwide headlines increasingly more not often and when it does, it’s at all times about one more tragedy. A humanitarian disaster, an earthquake, a lethal assault, a drought, expelled and struggling refugees.
I used to work for Each day Outlook Afghanistan, the primary English-language media outlet within the nation. In our small newsroom, we recognised the damaging psychological affect that the fixed stream of dangerous information had. So we got down to search for optimistic tales to print side-by-side with our common protection and attempt to counter this decades-old tendency to color Afghanistan in all-dark colors.
Each day Outlook Afghanistan isn’t any extra. The newspaper, like many different media shops, needed to shut down shortly after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021. Most of my colleagues fled to neighbouring Iran and Pakistan; one in all them, Alireza Ahmadi, tragically died within the bombing of Kabul airport on August 26 that yr. So now there are even fewer journalists on the earth searching for the optimistic Afghan story.
I, myself, fell into the darkish entice of fatalism. From a author, who at all times seen and analysed political points from the optimistic aspect and tried to provide hope to the readers amid 20 years of battle and violence, I changed into a person filled with chagrin. Life grew to become extraordinarily exhausting in a single day. I used to be unemployed, struggling to offer for my household. All the things appeared meaningless to me.
I usually heard complaints from feminine family about their struggles below the Taliban regime and the ban on secondary and college training. This saddened me and simply added to my anguish.
Because the months handed, I slowly began to grasp that I may provide much more than phrases of comfort. As a Chinese language proverb goes: “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.
So I made a decision to mild the candle of literacy and training. I had years of expertise as an English-language instructor, having labored with numerous academic establishments and initiatives all through Afghanistan. It was time to place it into use.
I discovered like-minded individuals who had additionally determined to begin taking part in a optimistic position for the youthful era in these exhausting occasions. Collectively, we based a non-public academy to show English in Dasht-e-Barchi, a western neighbourhood of Kabul.
None of us had any more money, so we needed to borrow from buddies to cowl the bills of renting an area and equipping it with chairs and desks, whiteboards, photo voltaic panels, MP3 gamers and screens. We put collectively a syllabus ourselves and handed the registration course of with the Ministry of Schooling.
Regardless of the ban on secondary and college training, ladies are nonetheless allowed to check in non-public training centres. So we’ve got welcomed them as our college students, together with boys.
We abide by the authorized necessities and maintain the ladies and boys in separate rooms; we additionally guarantee all feminine college students put on the Islamic hijab within the class as prescribed by the authorities.
Now we have set a low tuition price that’s comparatively reasonably priced and we additionally provide waivers. Of the 200 college students at the moment finding out with us, 15 aren’t paying and 40 are paying half of the price. The funds we gather are nearly sufficient to cowl the lease.
We educate at no cost, however we’re nonetheless rewarded. The every day encounter with so many younger ladies and boys who wish to research and obtain is inspiring.
Now we have one male scholar, for instance, who lately received right into a highway accident. A rickshaw hit his motorcycle and harm his fingers critically. He despatched us a message, saying, “I had an accident and going to have a surgical operation. Please pray for me so that my fingers do not be chopped off.” To our shock, he confirmed up for sophistication proper after he had the surgical procedure.
One other scholar who evokes us along with her dedication is a 16-year-old woman who works at a tailor store the place she receives little pay to help her household. She is very eager on studying English however can not afford to check, so we gave her the chance to hitch our academy with out fee. To cowl the price of books and stationery, she units apart 10 Afghanis ($0.14) daily from her pay.
I look again on the previous few months through which the academy has been open and I really feel remorse for dropping the earlier two years to melancholy and hopelessness. If we had began earlier, we’d have helped many girls and boys pursue their training goals.
A number of the college students I taught just a few years in the past at the moment are finding out in international nations reminiscent of India, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, France and the USA.
However I’m additionally completely happy that I’ve left behind the paralysis of despair and embraced hope. I attempt to assist my college students battle melancholy and despair, as effectively. I attempt to encourage enthusiasm and optimism and encourage them to be lively of their communities and create the optimistic tales Afghanistan so dearly wants.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.