Dr. Yacoobi spoke at a UNESCO meeting about Mobile Literacy. The Afghan Institute of Learning has conducted Mobile Literacy classes and found that students progressed much faster with overall literacy using this tool. The teacher would text questions to students' mobile phones and they had to reply in text in English. Most students sent many more texts than was required! No surprise there! It always pays to be open to new ways of doing things.
I was delighted and honored to be able to address the 6th DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas in Goa, India. A wonderful gathering of people sharing ideas and hopes for the future. I spoke about something close to my heart - working with youth and especially about bringing change to society by educating youth and teaching them core values. Children are our future.
Wishing all a good New Year. AIL looks forward to another successful year working in Afghanistan and hopes its work will brighten the year for many people especially women and girls in rural and poor urban areas of the country.
We give thanks for the support of our donors without you this valuable work could not be done.
I am thrilled that our friends at Half the Sky have organized a multi media event for October which will include a PBS 4 hour show. The plight of women needs this attention. There is so much to do to help the millions of women who suffer abuse or neglect whether physical, emotional, economic or educational.
I have always believed women are the solution - if you educate a girl then you help her family and community and create change on a personal and societal level.
World Children's Prize
Iwas honored to receive the Honorary Award of the World Children's Prize. It is a special thing to have so many children around the world read about the work we are doing in Afghanistan. These children are learning to be global citizens to care about others may adults learn from them. My heartfelt thanks for this honor.
Sakena Yacoobi
Observations from Executive Director of CHI
I was privileged to be at the conference in Herat and it went extremely well. There were over 200 people in attendance; it was very moving and inspiring, particularly the combination of music with the poetry; the conference was very well-received by Afghans and well covered by the media and lots of comments from Afghans who were either in attendance or heard about it; and it was superbly organized--the hotel said it was the best organized conference they had hosted and they host a lot of them!! The prayers and support from so many people from around the world also helped immensely.
Quote from Sakena Yacoobi
"I really believe that to forgive and have love and share with one another - this is hard to do until you forgive you will not be able to give from your heart. I am trying to do that, I am trying to teach others to do that."
AIL Love and Forgiveness Conference centered on the poetry of Rumi was held in Herat April 8-9 2012. It was a great success and well received by all.
Afghans are ready for an event such as this and want to reconnect with their country's history of peace.
April 10th - Executive Director of CHI writes
I am writing from Herat. The two day conference, drawing on the poetry and theosophy of Mawlana (Rumi) and covering topics of peace, equality, justice, women's issues, love and forgiveness, started on April 8 and concluded on April 9 in the afternoon. This conference was the first of its kind in Afghanistan and it was very well received and very successful with many people attending from six provinces of Afghanistan and various sectors of society, including government and NGO officials, parliament members, local council representatives, university representatives, foreign representatives, poets, musicians, academics, educators, and civil society members. There were also messages from those who were unable to attend, including one from President Karzai. Today visitors toured the Gawhar Shad Complex, where AIL supports a library, and the Herat Museum and renovated Herat Citadel, where AIL supports traditional craft classes. Visitors were very impressed with the painting, calligraphy, glass (from glass blowing), tile work, carpets, silk products from the silk weaving and musical instruments that had been made by students of the various crafts.
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