Afghan Children's Fund to Help Educate All Young Children of Afghanistan

Beginning May 20, 2008, the National Geographic Society will undertake an important change: a new fund to expand the Society's grant-making efforts to serve all children in Afghanistan—both girls and boys. The new Afghan Children's Fund (ACF) replaces the current Afghan Girls Fund, a successful and purposeful grant-making program that raised more than $1,000,000 since its inception in 2002. The new Afghan Children's Fund can now expand education efforts in Afghanistan with a broader mission, including serving programs for Afghan refugee children who live in Pakistan.

While the name has changed, grant-making will continue to be closely aligned with the fund's original purpose. By widening the scope of support, National Geographic and donors will have an even greater impact on the future of education in Afghanistan. We hope that you will join important educational projects in Afghanistan by donating to the Afghan Children's Fund

Boys at a school in Afghanistan
Photograph by Anna Knutzen

Over the past six years, more than $1,000,000 has been raised in support of education for girls in Afghanistan. Grants from the fund have created and reconstructed schools, established learning centers, funded publications like Parvaz, and enabled National Geographic to deliver educational products and maps to children and teachers in the war-torn region. Grant support from the Afghan Children's Fund will continue to mirror work already undertaken, and the most recent grant recipients include:

Asia Foundation
National Geographic has partnered with The Asia Foundation (TAF) since 2002 when the TAF was awarded a grant to rebuild the Rabia-e Balkhi Girls School and establish a multipurpose library and resource center for women and girls in Kabul. The most recent grant from National Geographic will improve the infrastructure at Rabia-e Balkhi by helping provide the schools 3,500 students with a reliable supply of safe drinking water and an expanded septic system for sanitary restroom facilities.

Ayenda Foundation
The Ayenda Foundation supports projects that promote the welfare, education, health, shelter, safety, artistic, and athletic abilities of Afghan children. Grant support from National Geographic will help construct a learning center for the orphan children of Bamyan Province, providing room and board, hot meals, and a school with a 210-student capacity.

Partnership for the Education of Children in Afghanistan (PECA)
Partnership for the Education of Children in Afghanistan (PECA) focuses on rural regions not served by larger non-profits. Grant support from National Geographic will support PECA's efforts to rebuild a former boy's school as the new Doornamio Girls School. Funds will help provide running water for safe drinking, sanitation facilities, and construction to accommodate more students. When completed, the Doornamio Girls School will be one of two schools in the province to offer girls high school education.

While Afghanistan unfortunately sees a continuation of its conflict now three decades on, one of the bright spots has been the work accomplished through the programs like the Afghan Children's Fund. The critical work is made possible through contributions. Each achievement, however isolated or small it may seem, represents big change for the children and people of Afghanistan today—and in the future.

The National Geographic Society is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization.