Implementing partner: Afghan Refugee Rehabilitation (ARR)
Country: Pakistan
Dates: 1999 - 2003
Donors: Mr and Mrs K Eng, Mr Hamid Nezam, Sutasoma Trust, The Von Clemm Foundation.

Afghan Refugee Rehabilitation (ARR) was established in 1990 to ease the plight of the millions of Afghan refugees seeking safety and security in Pakistan following the Soviet invasion of 1979 and subsequent armed conflict.* The ARR education programme grew out of an immediate, short-term, humanitarian need; to provide schooling for the thousands of school-aged Afghan refugee children with no access to education in Pakistan. With LfL support, ARR established six schools, housed in the refugee camps on the outskirts of Peshawar, with the ultimate aim to relocate these schools to Afghanistan.

Since 1999, LfL has provided significant advice and guidance to ARR and their schools in implementing teacher training and school development. Thousands of children aged between 6 and 18, almost sixty percent of whom are girls, have benefited from the education provided in the LfL-supported ARR schools in the Peshawar area. In addition, ARR has ensured that all teachers receive regular professional training - maintaining an impressive rate of over two thirds female teachers.

Beneficiaries

Children educated - 3,298
Teachers trained and employed - 85
Total educated - 3,383

Testimonials

The Fatima Zahra School for girls, based in a well-off area of Kabul was reconstituted by the community as it settled near Peshawar. The school, like the families, will move back to Kabul some day and begin life anew. Fatima, a 12 year old, lives for that day. She, like her friend Pervana, was born in the Peshawar camp, and has never seen Afghanistan, but describes it as "beautiful". They both attend school in the mornings and work in the afternoon. "It is important that we go to school to improve our living standard" says Fatima, fiddling with her white chador. "I want to be a doctor, a professional and to serve Afghanistan in the future. I want to return to Afghanistan, any part as long as we have schools."