By Behzad Sadiq
Already 15 years old, Hematullah still dreams of going to school. But in his hometown of Trikh Nawar, he has no other choice but to work in the fields. His eyes widen as he explains, “There is no school here, not even a madrasa or religious school, we want the government to build a school. All the children are uneducated, I myself am uneducated,” he says. “I grew up, and now I want to study. If a school is built, we can work and study. Children should not grow up illiterate like us.”
Located only twenty kilometers from Helmand’s capital of Lashkargah city, Trikh Nawar is a large area within the Marjah district, located between Marjah, Nad Ali and Nawa. The region, known as the insecurity belt during the US-led war, saw some of the fiercest fighting and insecurity for those two decades. Many non-combatants were killed, and families are still grieving the loss of their loved ones. The bloodshed was so intense that the locals began to call it “Koshtargah” or “slaughterhouse.”
“Koshtargah” also received little of the development funding that swept through Afghanistan in those decades. Most notably, it still has not a single building for education. Instead the children grow up working, mostly in agricultural jobs, and often carry the heavy burden of adult responsibilities from a young age.
Torjan, a 45-year-old resident, is the father of three and the guardian of his brother’s four orphans. He appeals to the government, “We want the government to build a school for us or a madrasa (religious school) so that we will not be deprived of education. Our life is hard and in the past, but may the future of our children be in comfort. Not like ours,” he says.
Despite the Helmand’s Taliban Education directorate claims that there are 35 schools in the Marjah district – with 1,871 female students (at madrasas) and 11,260 male students study – Trikh Nawar remains devoid of any educational institution, including religious schools. Some children attempt to learn basic Arabic alphabets and prayers from Mullah Imam in the mosque, but many struggle to make progress.
Mohammad Ewaz Ansari, the Taliban’s director of education in Helmand, says that 50 local classes are active in Marjah district through the efforts of two NGOs, AREP and IRC. He also reports that there are 872 madrasas in Helmand province, with 417 schools built, 318 active, and 99 inactive. But, none of them are in Trikh Nawar.
Mullah Jalad, Mullah Imam of Besmillah village’s mosque, laments the situation. ”As far as I know, there are no schools in our vast area. If there are new ones, I can’t say, but I can say for sure that no school was built here in the past. Nor have our children been registered in a place to study.”
While some local classes were established in nearby villages by IRC, they were closed after a year, Mullah Jalad says. He adds that Besmillah village is only 15 homes of the 13,000 that make up Trikh Nawar. And from those 15 homes, there are 40 illiterate children. Their requests for help from IRC have gone unanswered. “They told us that we have 140 classes in several places and districts. We are over capacity,” he says. “There is not a single local class in our village or near us. Our children remain illiterate.”
Some of them, like Hematullah, still dream of going to school, hoping that someday the government and NGOs will take notice of their plight and build the schools they so desperately need.
Saifullah, 12, earns up to 50 afghanis a day working on a farm. He wishes for a school to be built in the area, saying, “Because by teaching, you can become a teacher. I am very tired now.” Despite his exhaustion from working in the fields, he dreams of a brighter future through education. “A school should be built here. We will work on the farm, and will also go to school,” he says.
Akhtar Mohammad, a resident of Trikh Nawar, Is concerned even the education at the madrasa is not up to standard. “My son has been going to the madrasa for two years, but he still hasn’t even learned to pray. If there is not a proper school or madrasa, it is not possible to become a mullah and a teacher in half an hour of going to the mosque,” he says.
In Helmand province, at the time international development was being poured into Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency wreaked havoc on Helmand and prevented schools being built, and many other schools were also destroyed. The community of Trikh Nawar has shown a deep resilience in the face of what they’ve been through, and are still supporting each other through their shared hardships to provide for their families. But the lack of educational opportunities presents a significant obstacle to their progress and the development of their community.
Azad Khan, a 40-year-old resident of Trikh Nawar and father of six – three daughters and three sons – emphasizes the importance of education, especially for girls. “If a school is built today, I will send my children. If there are no schools, there are no female doctors. The country needs female doctors and teachers. We ask the government and NGOs to build schools for us.”
Other local leaders are also calling on the Taliban’s de facto government and other international organizations to prioritize construction of schools and the provision of educational resources.
Until that time, the children of Trikh Nawar will continue to work tirelessly in the fields, dreaming of a day they can attend school and gain the knowledge and skills needed to build a better life for themselves and their families, and break the cycle of violence and poverty that has plagued their region far so long.
