05.30.2018 – Ayenda Foundation celebrated its 13th Annual Benefit Dinner at the Danish Embassy, hosted by H. E. Ambassador Lars Gert Lose and Mrs. Ulla Ronberg. The Evening started with a warm welcoming remark by Ambassador Lose, highlighting Denmark’s Key support for Afghanistan. Mrs. Shamim Jawad, Founder of the Ayenda Foundation thanked Ambassador Lose and the government of Denmark for their support for Afghanistan. Mrs. Jawad said, “we are grateful for Denmark’s ongoing commitment to support growth, employment, education, democracy building and human rights in Afghanistan”.
Mrs. Jawad thanked the guests and Ayenda’s board members for their continued support, and said, “tonight, I would like to pick up from where we left last year. I announced that we were planning to start a pre-school program, expand to middle-school and open enrolment to all children of the community, not only orphans. I am happy and proud to report that we were able to accomplish all our promises.
We currently have 20 children in our pre-school program. You may have seen their pictures on the slide-show. As you might be aware, pre-school is not offered through the public-school system in Afghanistan. However, we believe that preparing children for first grade education is critical in order to develop early literacy and learning skills.
We registered our school with the Ministry of Education from a Primary school to a Middle School. We are taking this expansion one step at the time by adding only one new grade each year, we added 7th grade to our school this year. At the moment, we have 21 students in our 7thgrade, and we admitted a total of 97 new students this year. In total, we have 306 students in our school. This is a tremendous achievement for us, and it would not have been possible without your support. We are also proud that the Ayenda School offers mixed primary education, as we believe it is important for boys and girls to study together to establish mutual respect. Undeniably, when you teach boys at a young age to respect girls and women, it will stay with them for life.
Ayenda is Focusing on providing quality education. By this we mean that we aim to provide extra curricula programs in additional to standard curriculum.
We use technology to enhance our teaching. In our computer-lab, for example, we teach our students basic computer skills in order to prepare them for secondary school and for higher education.
We teach the basics of the English language on primary level, which is otherwise not available in Afghanistan.
Twice a week, we offer girls empowerment programs for grads 4 to 7, providing our female students with the tool to tell stories that empower and strengthen their own voices. The Program is structured around 7 main principles: (1) belonging, (2) curiosity, (3) kindness, (4) friendship, (5) confidence, (6) courage, and (7) hope. Undeniably, these principles are essential for any young girl’s development and empowerment: Through this program we are building self-esteem and resilience in each girl and strengthen a consistent and deep mentor relationship.
And again, we could not have done this without your support. We are not receiving any funds from the U.S. or from the Afghan government. We rely solely on this annual fundraising to keep our school sustainable. Your support goes a long way. Your support enables children in need in a remote province of Afghanistan, far from you, to go to school and to receive quality education. We all know and agree that education is the key, and much more than just the ability to read and to write. It is also a lever to attain a range of rights and skills, and to be able to participate more fully in political and socio-economic activities. It is key to female empowerment”.
Mrs. Jawad also Thanked Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Stated, Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib, for delivering a heartfelt remark and for his support for Ayenda. After the program the guests enjoyed the delicious Afghan dinner buffet and the beautiful outdoor settings at the Danish Residence.
