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"The dark phase is gone, now is the
time for learning." - Camran
Our Vision
Green Village Schools is a Portland, Oregon, based non-profit organization committed to building a generation of hope in Afghanistan. Our vision is to foster schools in Afghanistan that offer children a basic education and empower young people and their communities to become actively engaged in building a future of hope for their country. Green Village Schools also seeks to build thriving communities through support to school health services for students and local villages. We believe that investing in the education and health of young people in Afghanistan will ensure a future of hope for the country.
Current Status
In March 2001, Dr. Mohammad Khan Kharoti, a US-based physician of Afghan origin, began supporting classes for 10 boys and six girls in the Kharoti family compound in the village of Shin Kalay in Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan. The following year construction began on a school in the same village and in December 2002 Green Village Schools was officially recognized as a charity in the United States.
In the ensuing years the educational complex eventually comprised eight classrooms for boys on one side of the school and eight for girls on the other, providing space for nine grades. A well was dug and an elevated storage tank, separate latrines for boys and girls and a privacy wall around the entire complex were constructed. In addition, the complex contained a library which also served as a community center and a computer lab was under construction. By 2007, with about 800 boys and 400 girls and a teaching staff of 35, the school was licensed by the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan and they provided some financial support for teachers’ salaries. Other support came from a diverse range of community and international partners. The Provincial Office of the Minister of Education records that over 2,400 students have attended the school during its short history.
In October 2008, the school in Shin Kalay that had been nurtured for years by Dr. Kharoti and Green Village Schools was tragically destroyed and looted by militants with uncertain motives. Currently, the organization is seeking ways to address local security concerns in order to rebuild the school and guarantee future educational aspirations of area children, young people and their families. Additionally, Green Village Schools has continued to support education in Shin Kalay through a variety of ways including: encouraging continuing studies in local Mosques and in homes, for boys and girls; sponsoring 100 boys from Shin Kalay to continue their studies in Lashkar Gah (the provincial capital of Helmand Province); providing a home in Lashkar Gah, transportation by rickshaw to a public school, and private tutoring in English and computers for eleven girls, four who are now in the 11th grade; and mobilizing the Shin Kalay community to cherish education and to send their children for schooling to other areas of Afghanistan.
While the devastating impact of the school’s destruction is deeply felt, Green Village Schools has emerged stronger and has developed a broader strategy to foster education and community development in Afghanistan. This strategy will be to: 1) prioritize girls’ education; 2) expand the girls’ home in Lashkar Gah into an administrative center; 3) provide teacher salaries for one year for villages near Lashkar Gah that have school facilities but no government support at this time; 4) expand the computer classes to include other children in the public schools of Lashkar Gah; 5) rebuild a girls’ school in Shin Kalay when security issues have been resolved; and 6) integrate health activities into educational interventions. Moreover, subsequent to the destruction in Shin Kalay, the surrounding community has been catalyzed to value education for their young people. This has deepened engagement in the values of Green Village Schools and mobilized residents to seek communal solutions to address challenges that resulted in the destruction of the Shin Kalay educational complex. The organization is currently seeking donors to carry this momentum forward and to guarantee a future of hope for Afghanistan.
Troubling Facts about Afghanistan
The context in which Green Village Schools and other NGOs do their work is important. Afghanistan’s long and persistent plight is especially deserving of our help with the antidote of modern education. On the United Nations Human Development Index (based on life expectancy at birth, adult literacy, school enrollment, and GDP per capita) Afghanistan was ranked 173rd out of 178 countries listed in 2004. The five countries ranked below it were all in sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy in Afghanistan is only 43 years for both men and women despite HIV prevalence of less than 0.1 percent. Infant mortality stands at 163 out of every 1000 live births, and children have a one-in-five risk of dying by age five. Women die of pregnancy-related causes at a rate that is 60 times higher than in industrial countries and lower only than that in last-place Sierra Leone. Literacy over the age of 15 years is 52 percent for men and 22 percent for women nationally but much lower in rural areas. School enrollments for girls in Afghanistan are among the lowest in the world, and in rural areas it is rare for women to read.
The need for 21st century education is great in all parts of Afghanistan, and rural southern Afghanistan is one of the most educationally underserved areas of the country. The literacy rate for females 15 and older in the region is estimated at 10 percent. There are no reliable statistics on life expectancy and infant and maternal mortality for the region, but the situation is significantly worse than for the country as a whole. Schools are few and far between in Helmand Province outside of cities. GVS has offered a unique type of education that is independent, coeducational, rural, free, and open to all.
A Brief History
Green Village Schools (Shin Kalay Showenzy) is the creation of Mohammed Khan Kharoti, an Afghan who was born a nomad and was illiterate until he was 12 years old. He grew up in Afghanistan where he finished primary school and nursing school. With sponsorship from an American physician, he attended middle school and high school in Lebanon, college at Coe College in Iowa, and medical school in Afghanistan.
When the Russians invaded his country in 1979, he was forced to flee to Pakistan with his wife and children. Finally, he immigrated to the US with his family, and they now live in Portland, Oregon.
Realizing his dream, Mohammed established his first school in his home village of 11,000 people while the Taliban still controlled his country. With $5000 donated by Kharoti and free local labor, the first school of three rooms was built, initially used by boys. Classroom space for the girls was limited, so building a school for them was one of the first projects Green Village Schools undertook, completing the first phase of building in 2003.
Although progress was interrupted by the tragic events of September 11th 2001 and the subsequent war. Mohammad remained committed to his dream of supporting education in Afghanistan. Patients and colleagues of Mohammad, inspired after having read about his quest in the local newspapers, encouraged him to start a tax exempt charity in the US to help his cause. The organization, Green Village Schools (GVS) Incorporated, was founded in December of 2002 and, with the support of a diverse and qualified board, has become a beacon of hope for Afghans and Americans alike.
Other established nonprofits have freely provided assistance and advice as well, enhancing the efforts of GVS. While still young, GVS has reached tremendous heights and is contributing to the goal of bringing the opportunities of education to the people of Afghanistan. Over its short history GVS has contributed in various ways to the educational aspirations of Shin Kalay village and despite challenges continues to strive to nurture hope among children and young people in Afghanistan.
News
Our Fall 2009 newsletter is now available in the archives section. Or click here for a direct link.
A new article was published in the Oregonian about GVS. Click here to read it.
Pictures from our most recent trip are now available in the media section. Or click here for a direct link.