Aid in Action

Girls Return to School in Mazar-e-Sharif

USAID renovates school for 5,000 girls who had been banned for more than six years

Mazar-e-Sharif  | Sunday, June 01, 2003

On November 20, 2002, five thousand girls walked in the doors of the Sultana Razia Girls' School after being banned for more than six years. Located in Mazar-e-Sharif, this school is one of the largest girls' schools in northern Afghanistan. USAID helped with the renovation which cost more than $200,000 and included the restoration of thirty-two fully functional classrooms. This project is one of many which are part of a joint initiative between the governments of Afghanistan and the United States to build or rehabilitate 1,000 schools over the next three years.

Before

Sultana Razia Girls’ School was closed during the Taliban regime and used as a refuge for Taliban forces. As a result, the school was destroyed and then abandoned when the Taliban fell from power.

Photo: IOM-ATI staff

After

Five thousand girls now attend the Sultana Razia Girls' School renovated by USAID. During the opening ceremony, a 21-year-old student said "I want to become a lawyer because I want to bring justice and freedom to Afghanistan ... especially for women." One of her teachers added, "To teach makes me feel like I am helping Afghanistan. I couldn't fight before, but now I can help make Afghanistan better.”

Photo: USAID/D. Alexander