Press Release

OPEC Fund supports education program in Afghanistan

26/2005 March 15, 2005, Vienna, Austria

The OPEC Fund for International Development today approved a grant of US$30,000 towards an educational support program in Afghanistan. The initiative is the brainchild of an Austria-based NGO, the Help Afghan School Children Organization (HASCO), which has been providing educational materials and equipment to poor Afghan children since its inception three years ago.

Two decades of war have taken their toll on Afghanistan’s education system; over 90% of schools were destroyed, and only a few remain intact in urban areas. Despite recent efforts by the international community to rebuild infrastructure, many families cannot afford to buy essential school supplies for their children. As a result, a large proportion of Afghan youth are going without basic education.

HASCO’s mandate is to help revive the education sector in Afghanistan by rehabilitating physical infrastructure and providing children with schoolbags, books and classroom supplies.

The present project will renovate five schools in the province of Laghman and distribute schoolbags and other supplies to the students. On completion, the schools will each be able to accommodate 600 students on a double-shift basis.