COVID-19 Aid for Education in Afghanistan

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We thank you for your support of Bamyan Foundation's “COVID-19 Aid for Education in Afghanistan” during this global crisis! We are pleased to inform you of the current status of this project, and share some updates that we have received from Marefat High School in Kabul, Afghanistan. The funds raised has enabled us to help mitigate a highly valuable institution’s collapse from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being an independent institution, Marefat has been at the forefront of an educational revolution in Afghanistan providing education to underprivileged students both boys and girls, and livelihood for teachers and staff serving one of the country's most historically oppressed minority group.

Since March 2020, like other schools across Afghanistan, Marefat has had to close its doors to students and remains closed to-date for the safety of its staff and students. However, as an independent institution, Marefat does not receive any government funding to maintain its status active. Teachers and staff at Marefat rely on salaries that are based on tuition fees. The closure for Marefat also meant suspending student tuitions and no other means of financial support to sustain its 210 faculty and staff once it exhausts its modest emergency funds. The school’s collapse would be a devastating setback to the community that it offers the most critical platform for social progress.

Fortunately, with your generosity during these extremely difficult times, we have been able to help avoid the collapse of an institution with an immeasurable impact on the community it serves. On 25 July 2020, we received a very detailed and transparent report of the funds we raised for Marefat. We are happy to inform you that, as of 20 July, Marefat has distributed the first round of financial aid (10,677USD) to 164 of its faculty and staff members. Each individual has received a stipend of 65USD, which is equivalent to 5,000AFN when converted to the local (Afghan) currency. Individuals who received the funds through their bank accounts paid 70AFN for incoming wire fees and a few of them who didn’t have active bank accounts received the full 65USD (5,000AFN) in cash.

Despite our persistent efforts, we have sadly been informed by Marefat that 46 of its 210 faculty and staff have left the institution due to personal issues likely to seek employment opportunities elsewhere in order to support their families during this ongoing crisis. We expect similar reports both from Marefat and our other partner schools once they have received and distributed the funds to their faculty and staff in the next quarter. We will keep you informed as we receive reports from the field.

The Afghan government has announced 5 August 2020 as a conditional reopening date for schools, but the school administrators are hesitant to reopen due to the high risk they will be facing considering the poor state of the healthcare system in the country and its inability to provide services that could meet the needs of the public.

We thank you once again for your generosity to support the Bamyan Foundation’s “COVID-19 Aid for Education in Afghanistan." Our joint efforts undeniably help make a notable difference in the lives of many during these unusual times. Alternatively, in the absence of our humanitarian efforts, the already disadvantaged communities become more vulnerable to the risk of COVID-19. Additionally, the downfall of an institution such as Marefat would be a huge loss to the most historically oppressed and economically deprived minority group. We further ask you to please share this report with your friends, families and communities. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

The Bamyan Foundation Team