
Education in Emergencies
PROTECTING & ENABLING AFGHAN WOMEN & GIRLS
47
Projects
in Pakistan & Afghanistan
100 K
Direct
Beneficiaries
62%
Female
(Women & Girls)

In 2001, RET started working with Afghan communities in Pakistan, and supported 46K Afghan refugees (of which at least 12,478 were female), including 1,556 educators through 17 projects. Through its cross-border activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 551 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Afghan (of which 523 female), including 230 educators benefited from RET’s projects.
In 2008, RET entered Afghanistan, as Afghans started to return home after years of displacement. Throughout this time period, RET has directly supported 60K Afghans and indirectly benefited 519,935 Afghans including 100,110 learners and training more than 3,877 educators through 25 projects.
RET was awarded both the Award from the Upper House of the National Assembly of Afghanistan and the Massoud National Hero Medla for its concern for the plight of Afghan refugees and returnees. In 2019, RET’s Area Director and Afghanistan Country Director were awarded a certificate from the Islam Republic of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugee and Repatriations Office of Minister for their services to train Afghan refugees, returnees and IDPs and their enormous achievements assisting the communities in Afghanistan.

RET Programming in bridging the gaps in girls’ and young women’s education in Afghanistan
From its office in Peshawar, set up in 2003, to improve the quality level of Afghan refugee secondary schools in Pakistan, RET implemented education projects which benefited Afghan refugee secondary schools. The RET supported the refugee students to repatriate, to continue their higher studies in Afghanistan, so as to become good professionals, who could productively contribute to their country’s reconstruction efforts. As a result of its cross-border activities establishing a close cooperation with the Ministries of Education, Higher Education UNHCR UNESCO and UNICEF in Afghanistan.
RET was able to transfer its educational expertise to Afghanistan in order to improve the quality of secondary education of the returnees. In October 2007, RET’s Regional Office was moved from Peshawar to Kabul. RET’s choice of program approaches to education, and implementing partners contributed to durable solutions, sustainable development, voluntary repatriation, reconstruction, and sustainable peace and stability in the affected regions and in the world.
Addressing the gender imbalance in education globally is of utmost importance. The RET provides the path to sustainability and we always transition to the local communities and actors.
In RET’s programming, young female refugees are given the opportunity to gain access to education, to gain market relevant vocational training and much needed life skills, thus enabling them to develop themselves and rebuild their society together. The RET bridges gaps between conflict and peace, between primary and post-primary education between post- primary and tertiary education, leading to employment. Female refuges can provide support for their families when they are given the opportunity of vocational training and education. RET trained young female Afghan refugees to become teachers. War widows and underprivileged young women in Afghanistan are provided with a sense of empowerment, independence, confidence and self- reliance. Towards this end, young war widows learnt to make furniture in RET’s carpentry class.
RET strongly believes that young women and girls, once educated, can transmit their knowledge to their entire families and communities. Science lessons enable young women to broaden their educational scope for Afghanistan. Evidence has shown that young Afghan girls experience a greater degree of security when they are educated. The benefits of post- primary education are widespread. Access to secondary education creates long-term, sustainable growth for the rebuilding and recovery of post-conflict states. RET opened a prototype secondary school, coupled with a much-needed health clinic for the young Afghan refugee female students in Pashawar to provide essential basic health care. It is very important to highlight that RETs projects for Afghans with disabilities ensured that they have access to education. The RET’s experience shows that traditional communities prefer female teachers for their daughters, ensuring higher attendance at school.

RET’S WOMEN COMMUNITY CENTERS 2001 – 2019
RET’s programs in Afghanistan have led to the inauguration of a total of 35 Community Learning Centers & Women’s Centers.
• 2005, Peshawar
TWO Education Centers (ALP and Secondary Education)
• 2007, Kabul
TWO Education Centers (Vocational Training, Formal ALP)
• 2008 – 2010, Kabul
ONE Community Learning Centers (Formal ALP, Life Skills, Teacher Training)
• 2008, Bamyan
ONE Community Learning Centre (Formal ALP, Distance Learning, Teacher Training)
• 2009 – 2015, Parwan
TWO Community Learning Centre (ALP, Rights-based courses, Business Administration Training, Teacher Training, Teacher Training Institute support, Computing and English Classes)
• 2012, Badakshan
ONE Community Learning Centre (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Livelihoods, Teacher Training)
• 2013, Panjshir
FOUR Community Learning Centers (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Livelihoods, Teacher Training, Computer and Science Lab, Library, TTI support)
• 2014, Kapisa
FOUR Community Learning Centers (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Livelihoods, Teacher Training, 1 Computer and Science Lab, Library, Access to Tertiary Education, TTI support, Business Administration Training)
• 2016-2019, Kunduz
FOUR Community Learning Centers (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Health Service, Kindergarten, Teacher Training, Livelihoods, Computer and Science Lab, TTI and TVET support, Business Administration Training, Technical Training, Small Business, Financial Literacy, Micro-credit, Entrepreneurial Set of Skills-Focused Trainings)
• 2017-2019, Bagram I-III
NINE Community Learning Centers (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Teacher Training, Accelerated Catch-up Program, Livelihoods, Kindergarten, Kankoor Preparation Course, Career Counseling and Advice Desk, Psychosocial Support and Basic Health Services, Community Activities, Computer Centre, Business Administration Training, Small Business, Financial Literacy, Micro-credit, Entrepreneurial Set of Skills-Focused Trainings)
• 2017-2019, Kabul I-III
FIVE Community Learning Centers (Literacy, Numeracy, Life Skills, Teacher Training, Accelerated Catch-up Program, Livelihoods, Kindergarten, Kankoor Preparation Course, Career Counseling and Advice Desk, Psychosocial Support and Basic Health Services, Community Activities, Computer Centre, Business Administration Training, Small Business, Financial Literacy, Micro-credit, Entrepreneurial Set of Skills-Focused Trainings.)

AWARDS
Awards & Certifications granted from the Government and Ministries of Afghanistan to RET’s President and Chief Executive Officer Ms. Zeynep Gündüz.
RET was awarded both the Award from the Upper House of the National Assembly of Afghanistan and the Massoud National Hero Medal for its concern for the plight of Afghan refugees and returnees. In 2019, RET’s Area Director and Afghanistan Country Director were awarded a certificate from the Islam Republic of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugee and Repatriations Office of Minister for their services to train Afghan refugees, returnees and IDPs and their enormous achievements assisting the
In 2019, RET’s Area Director and Afghanistan Country Director were awarded a certificate from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s, Ministry of Refugee and Repatriations Office for their services to train Afghan refugees, returnees and IDPs and their enormous achievements assisting the communities in Afghanistan.

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