Support to public schools of Helmand & Zabul Provinces, Southern Region

LKRO empowers the individuals, communities, grassroots civil society organizations and promotes gender equity by improving development indicators pertaining to poverty reduction, WASH, health, education, human rights, environment and livelihood support to individuals and /or families who are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

Under this project we have renovated 51 SIP operational public schools as well as reopened 140 closed public schools for which we have constructed boundary walls, toilets equipped with WASH facilities, installed gates and big tents so that 35,329 newly enrolled children both girls & boys including 1,200 newly recruited teachers who are fully trained by LKRO’s master trainers are providing preliminary education to them in a safer and enabling environment.

we have renovated 51 SIP operational public schools as well as reopened 140 closed public schools

The mass closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and due to prolonged war, 927 schools were damaged and destroyed in the first half of the year, and now the lack of funds to pay 70 percent of schools’ teachers have severely restricted access to education, disproportionately affecting girls. Already, the education of some 9.3 million had been largely interrupted since 2020 due to COVID-19 related challenges and restrictions. An estimated 4.2 million children are out of school (60 per cent are girls), 56 including children with disabilities. Only in 2022 around 7.9 million children are in need of education assistance (HNO 2022). According to EMIS 2019, estimated number of children in primary and secondary phases of learning in Helmand is 186,745 (149,081 boys, 37,664 girls) and in Zabul 68,370 (53,385 boys, 14,985 girls). Estimates put number of teachers in Helmand at 2,384 (1,943 male, 441 female) and in Zabul at 890 (7893 male, 97 female). The HRP 2022 targets the estimated school going population (students and teachers in these two provinces, as per the totals below.

People in need:

  • 255,115 students (202,446 boys and 52,469 girls).
  • 3,274 teachers (2,736 male, 538 female).

The programme’s specific outputs are re-opening (RO) of closed public schools, provide light renovation to SIP public schools’ teachers training, teachers’ salaries, school kits, needful equipment and sanitary facilities either complete package or individual component depending on the need in communities or public institutions and ensure:

  • Output 1: 51 SIP public schools remain operational.
  • Output 2: 140 previously closed schools reopen.
  • Output 3: Monitoring.
  • Output 4: Improve academic oversight through increased capacity of Academic Supervisors and DED staff as well as support infrastructure of the PED and DED to enable them ensure quality of education programs.
  • Output 5: PSEA awareness raising in the targeted populations and formal schools.
  • Output 6: Ensuring project management and technical supervision through staffing, capacity building and staff facilitation for field implementation/ensuring project management and technical supervision.

Mr. Fran Equiza- UNICEF Representative – Helmand– 13th Feb,2023.

Mr.Fran Equiza comment in Dashte Aeenak School:

110 bright little students and 110 futures!

At Dasht Ainak primary school in Helmand, I met energetic little girls who are eager to learn.

#Afghanistan needs more girls in school. @UNICEFAfg is committed to supporting them to continue their education and fulfill their dreams.

Conduct Back-to-School campaign (BTS)

The Back-to-School campaign (BTS) had an inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to ensure that no child is left behind; it placed much emphasis on girls, children with disabilities (CWD) and children in hard-to-reach communities. The campaign focused on promoting enrolment, retention and completion of basic education for all children through engagement with religious leaders and heads of households. The back to schools (BTS) campaign was successfully conducted at beginning of the project. The BTS mass campaign was done through raising awareness of focused local communities and SMS shura members regarding importance of education, conducting small and large gatherings through mosque to mosque, village to village, publishing banners, sign boards in public place and distributing leaflets in Helmand and Zabul. Since LKRO has conducted good BTS campaigning, which resulted in enrolling extra number of students to the newly reopened schools than previously targeted in both Zabul and Helmand provinces.

Pictures: The construction and repairing works of 86 public schools in Helmand and 61 public schools in Zabul provinces including other soft components have been completed.

Pictures: Enrolled new students in 140 RO public schools through BTS Campaign:

Pictures: Solar power system for has been installed in 29 PEDs & DEDs offices in Zabul and Helmand: