Payam-e Danesh (Message of Knowledge) School Herat, Afghanistan

Massoma Hassan helping students with writing assignment. Massoma Hassan established the Payam-e Danesh (Message of Knowledge) School in Herat in March 2010. The goal is to identify street children and support them in obtaining an education. The school is registered with the Afghanistan Education Ministry. There are currently 40 street children attending classes at Payam-e Danesh.

Street children (mostly refugee children) from poor families are unable to go to school because of expenses such as school uniforms and supplies, good food and transportation costs.

Payam-e Danesh looks for children who have fallen through the cracks and supports them with the help of donations.

Currently the Afghan government cannot provide a free education for the thousands of children living in poverty.

Poor children, even those as young as five or six years old are often kept home from school in order to work and earn money for the family. Little girls are put to work making carpets, and boys sell socks, chewing gum or balloons in the street.

Payam-e Danesh covers the following categories of students: Students at the new Payam-e Danesh School.

Small children of kindergarten age. Our kindergarten is currently functioning and children learn skills to prepare them for formal lessons starting in the first grade.
Street children who previously collected rubbish in the street searching for iron and plastic to sell in the bazaar. Payam-e Danesh supports them with education, clothes and food.
Mothers of the students at Payam-e Danesh who have requested literacy training. Staff at the school advises the mothers on how to help their children learn. Many of these children have no social skills, so working with the mothers helps reinforce learned behaviour in the home as well as at school. Mothers are targeted by advisors and teachers in the afternoon. In addition to receiving literacy training themselves they can ask advice on how to help their children learn.
In future, as Payam-e Danesh expands and receives additional funding, children will be accepted into the higher grades where they will learn professions such as computer training, tailoring, mechanics and science.
Other future plans include help obtaining financial support to attend university, and job placement upon graduation.

A student at the new Payam-e Danesh School The children who are targeted by Payam-e Danesh are at risk of being recruited by drug smugglers. Without assistance, many of the children will become addicts. These children have fallen through the cracks in the formal education system. Unless they are rescued at a young age they will remain isolated from regular social interaction and the education system. As they grow, their options will be limited to working with the criminal elements.

The school supports all the students by providing school uniforms, bags and school supplies free of charge. The cost per student is $25 per month, $300 per year.

As the school expands and receives funding, wheat, oil and rice will be provided to the mothers to encourage their attendance in the literacy courses.

Payam-e Danesh will provide reports of each child’s progress at least every six months to donors.

New Books!

The students at the Payam-e Danesh School in Herat with new books. The books are illustrated with texts in both Dari and Pashto of traditional Afghan folk tales by the Afghan author Indies Shah.

Hoopoe Books provided the books. For more information see the website: www.hoopoekids.com