The Ministry of Education achieved a significant milestone by laying the foundation of the new Ghazi Boy’s High School in Kabul, Afghanistan. When completed in late 2009, this $6.25 million school construction project will provide modern classrooms, laboratories, and other learning facilities for over 5,000 students, including the 1,750 students who currently study outside or in temporary shelters. The building is being constructed to the highest seismic safety standards to prevent tragic school collapses like those seen in recent earthquakes in Pakistan and China.
The successful concrete placement was the culmination of months of hard work to design and prepare the building foundation. USAID decided to pour the concrete overnight to avoid conflicts with the ongoing school operations and Kabul’s notoriously bad daytime traffic. Laboring through the night, workers placed over 480 cubic meters (628 cubic yards) of reinforced concrete for the 1,200 square meter (13,000 square foot) foundation of the main building. When the school is completed, students will have access to education in a safe and modern environment.