Rokhshana School
Primary Education Development Project
Kabul, Afghanistan

Start date: April 2006
Purpose: To improve school infrastructure and the quality of education
Enrollment: 1,200 high school girls
Status: US-ARC is developing partnerships to build additional classrooms and to restore the playground

History and Overview

While overseeing projects in Afghanistan in spring 2006, US-ARC’s Executive Director visited Rokhshana School in Kabul, an elementary school she had attended prior to coming to the U.S. What was once a 300-student body coed elementary school, had now been transformed into an all-girl high school comprising 1,200 students. As expected, the school did not have proper equipment and facilities to accommodate this large body of students. Dozens of worn out desk chairs spilled out of classrooms and into the hallways, while a donated trailer and makeshift tents served as additional classroom space on the school’s playground.

When US-ARC approached the Rokhshana School on donating school supplies, the principle and staff instead asked for light, since the school’s electrical wires had been stolen. Due to the lack of electricity, the school and its students were unable to use donated computers. The teachers indicated that they would contribute towards buying a generator and fuel in order to benefit from the weekly hours of public electricity available in Kabul. Through private donations, US-ARC rewired the entire school.