Dec 19, 2016

Zaman International gives girls in Afghanistan clean water, education

Roughly 2,500 girls and school staff in rural Afghanistan have received access to clean and safe water with the help of a $6,000 grant provided by Zaman International to International Medical Corps. The funding was used by IMC to rehabilitate the water supply at Shikhan Girls Higher Secondary School in Laghman Province’s Zia Gul Shikhan Village, which will improve the general health and school attendance of the students.

Prior to the rehabilitation, students and staff were required to carry enough water to school to drink throughout the day and were unable to clean the school’s toilets, wash their hands after using the facilities, or maintain other hygiene practices. This placed them at risk for contracting water-borne diseases.  Additionally, the time required for young girls to collect water for themselves and their families presented a significant barrier to their school attendance.

With support from Zaman International, IMC constructed a reinforced cement concrete overhead tower for storing drinking and irrigation water and installed a 3,000-liter water tank insulated against storms and extreme temperatures. It also installed a water distribution point with water taps for staff and students to collect water. IMC ensured sustainability by orienting and training school staff on the proper use of the water system, which receives water from an underground source with pumping for use.

Zaman CEO and Founder Najah Bazzy said the rehabilitation of the water supply demonstrates Zaman’s interest in development projects that advance multiple objectives.

“The school project in Zia Gul Shikhan Village achieved improvements in public health while at the same time increasing access to education,” Bazzy noted. “Zaman is pleased that its longtime partnership with IMC continues to make the most of our donors’ development dollars through high-yield investments.”