Lots of children can’t get to school in Afghanistan, because of ongoing conflict and a lack of schools. Find out how Guljan is learning to read and write even though there is no school in her village.
Guljan's story
This is Guljan. Her name means ‘heart of the flower’. Guljan is nine years old and the eldest of four children.
She has a brother and two sisters. She lives in a village called Khanghozak.
About 450 people live in Khanghozak. The village is an hour’s drive from the nearest paved road.
What is it like where you live?
Everybody in the village has chores to do. Guljan helps her dad look after their animals. She says, ‘I help with the goats and sheep, and take them to pasture to eat grass.
I wash the dishes, sweep the floor and play with my baby sister. I also go and collect water because the water here is salty. Every day we have to go all the way to Dughi (two hours each way) to get water. All the girls go together by donkey.’
This is Guljan’s teacher. Her name is Ferishta Ghafour. Khanghozak doesn’t have its own school, but Guljan has been going to a special literacy class, and now she can read and write.
The classes are run by a local organisation called Women’s Activities and Social Services Association (WASSA), which is supported by the charity Christian Aid.
What is your school like? In what ways is it similar to Guljan’s class and in what ways is it different?
Guljan loves going to her class. She says, ‘I want to be a teacher… and I want to teach a mixed class of girls and boys. It is important for both boys and girls to go to school. I have learnt to read and write, and now I am teaching my brother at home as well.’
