Day Three - School for Big People

About a year and a half ago our host launched an Adult Training Center in the basement lunchroom of the original School for Street Working Children, which was unused for part of the day. The ATC is open to the extended family of students and offers free classes and vocational training in hopes of equipping family members to find new jobs and better lives for their families. The ATC started as little more than a dream, with basic Literacy and Tailoring classes for about a dozen women.
Shortly after opening, the ATC expanded to provide basic electrical and plumbing classes for men to help them secure jobs or possibly even open their own businesses. Graduates of the Tailoring, Electrical, and Plumbing courses were all given tools of their trade as a graduation present to help jump start their new careers.
Then just a few months ago the ATC was further expanded to include classes in Computers, English, and Business Administration for young adults and just last month moved into their own separate 5,000 square foot building! There are currently more than 80 students enrolled at the Adult Training Center with another 40 accepted to enroll next semester… and another 40 on a waiting list.
Today our team split up and went in two directions – Bob, John, Robb, Jim, and Marc headed to the Adult Training Center while Jon and Ken headed to do some filming at one of the Schools for Street Working Children as well as a couple homes of school families.
Jon and Ken accompanied our hosts on a couple family outreach home visits – periodic wellness visits to the homes of adults enrolled in a class at the Adult Training Center or parents of kids in the School for Street Working Children. Today’s visits included delivering some much needed food supplies.
Bob’s group was invited to join a couple of the Business classes to interact with the students and teachers. We shared and discussed some ideas on writing business plans, sales and marketing strategies, integrity and honesty in business, pursuing career positions with confidence, and non-traditional work and family roles for men and women. The students and teachers in both classes truly surprised and inspired us with their curiosity and creativity in exploring the numerous business ideas and cross-cultural concepts we shared with them.
At the end of the day we returned to the guest house still riding the emotional high from the ATC only to learn the very sobering news about the attack on the Afghan Army base in Mazar-i-Sharif. Rest assured this occurred a long way from Kabul so we were never in any danger. However the sadness and disappointment on the faces and in the hearts of our Afghan family and friends was palpable and we share in their sorrow tonight.
But Afghans are nothing if not resilient and will awake tomorrow with renewed determination to pursue a better life for themselves and their families.
- Bob
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