2021 - Program Adaptation in Response to Taliban Restrictions

By 2021, through various programs and initiatives, CW4WAfghan had trained over 10,000 teachers and established over 300 libraries and science labs. 

CW4WAfghan becomes an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO (consultative status) after collaborating on two projects with UNESCO that year: delivering programming to encourage Afghan girls to return to school after the COVID-19 pandemic and translating reading materials for Afghan persons with disabilities, thereby making Darakht-e Danesh Library one of the first Afghan libraries to offer audiobooks and accessible resources for children with disabilities.

August 2021

The fall of Afghanistan and the reoccupation of the Taliban. Hundreds of dissidents, government employees, Afghan army, activists, journalists and cultural figures have disappeared or are executed. Thousands more go into hiding and hundreds of thousands of Afghans evacuate the country.

The Taliban restricts girls from attending school beyond grade six in Afghanistan.

In response to the change of government, CW4WAfghan’s Advocacy program focuses on advocating for restoration of the right to education for girls and women in Afghanistan, for safe passage for those who wish to leave Afghanistan, for the evacuation of those at risk, for international educational opportunities, and for employment for Afghan women. 

Following the Fall of Kabul, CW4WAfghan redesigns the GETT Project (Gender Equity in Teacher Training to Improve Girls’ Education in Afghanistan) to serve exiled Afghan educators living in countries in the region (Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey) through distance education courses. With funding from Global Affairs Canada, CW4WAfghan develops and delivers courses including digital literacy, how to teach online, gender-based analysis, mental health, and reading essentials.

CW4WAfghan begins implementation of the “KIX” project: Networked Improvement Communities for School Leaders Towards Equity and Inclusion. This two-year project is administered by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and funded by Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The project is designed to be implemented in Afghanistan by CW4WAfghan, in Pakistan by Allama Iqbal Open University, and in Nepal by Kathmandu University, with technical leadership from the Open University UK, and management support from Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development, Inc. (FIT-ED) in the Philippines. Following a pause in August 2021, the project was moved to Pakistan.

CW4WAfghan adapts the Learning Basket program to include nutritious food staples, sanitation packages, and winterization supplies for families facing economic uncertainty due to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. This program is now called the Learning Plus Basket program.

Photo (left): Rally for Afghanistan in Vancouver, B.C.