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The Asia Foundation Receives National Geographic Society Grant to Advance Afghan Girls' Education

"It is imperative that we support these girls, and help create a more efficient and effective educational environment for them," says Karen Gibbs, National Geographic Education's Manager of Strategic Partnerships. "These girls have the potential to succeed and build better lives for themselves and their families; they just need the opportunity and the resources to do so."

Although significant improvements have been made, accessing quality education in Afghanistan remains a challenge, especially for girls. Many schools remain in very poor condition due to decades of instability, conflict, and lack of resources. Enrollment continues to rise, but many government-run schools lack the necessary resources to support current levels of enrollment, much less meet the increasing demand. There remain significant disparities between the educational opportunities for boys versus girls, as the literacy rate for young women (aged 15-24) is 18 percent, compared to 49 percent for young men. Much remains to be done to improve the accessibility and quality of education for girls.

For nearly a decade, the National Geographic Society has been committed to supporting girls' education in Afghanistan. The Society's efforts have contributed to vast improvements in basic resources, facilities, and opportunities for thousands of female Afghan students. Most recently, the improvements were made to two schools in Kabul allowing students to attend classes indoors seated at desks, rather than sitting on the ground in outdoor tents. In addition, thousands of students now have access to up-to-date computer labs, conference halls, and educational resources such as brand new books.

"These matching grants allow us to leverage the generous support from the National Geographic Society's Afghan Children's Fund, to make large scale improvements in large girls' schools that will impact the lives of thousands of Afghan girls, their families and communities, with benefits for generations to come," says Carol Yost, Director of The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment Program.

ABOUT THE ASIA FOUNDATION

The Asia Foundation (http://www.asiafoundation.org) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports Asian initiatives to improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; sustainable development and the environment; and international relations. Drawing on nearly 60 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With 18 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, DC, and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2010, the Foundation provided more than $98 million in program support and distributed nearly one million books and journals valued at over $42 million.

The Asia Foundation
Amy Ovalle, +1-415.743.3340
aovalle@asiafound.org
Eelynn Sim, +1-415.743.3318
esim@asiafound.org