In remote Bamiyan, a school run by an Afghan woman offers hope

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Bamiyan, Afghanistan – 6am and Freshta swept the floor of the emergency cave school in Bamiyan Province in Afghanistan.

Donkey dropped dirt hills in the eternal village to take water, while the house cave was awake with the smell of freshly baked bread.

Up to 50 children, most of them are women, attending informal schools – not far from where the historic giant Buddha statue was blown by the Taliban 20 years ago.

The school runs for two hours every day in the morning offering the opportunity for a poor community at a time the country has faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The community suggests gathering children and teaches them basic English, from, mathematics, geography and the Koran, “Freshta, who only gave a name, told Al Jazeera.

It becomes something bigger, year after year,” the 22-year-old player who started school at the age of 12 years, said, adding that students, starting from the age of four to 17 years, most came from the village of Gua 50 families. .

Freshta said he was afraid after the Taliban armed group returned to power in August. The last time the Afghan group came to power between 1996-2001, he forbade women from education and work.

My school is beautiful and colorful, but when the Taliban took over Bamiyan, I was very scared and my friends suggested I noted all posters and pictures at W.

I put all the colors and pens in a plastic bag and threw it into the Patablaghman River, “Freshta, wearing a colored headscarf, said.

They [Taliban fighters] come three times,” he added, “looking for my neighbors who used to work for the local police, but he had fled. I was scared, but they didn’t seem to know about my school.”

Fresh is the only teacher and work voluntary. He sometimes accepted donations from occasional visitors from the capital of Kabul, but the school was survived thanks to his hard work.

People here have economic problems, they are farmers or unemployed and schools completely free,” he said. “These families will not be able to buy private schools, and government schools far away.”

Freshta was the only graduate of the University from the cave village, after completing the midwifery course from Bamiyan University a few months ago. Many of his students say they want to learn to become a teacher like him.