In December 2010, Bethan Williams, Afghanistan Programmes Manager for Children in Crisis visited our programmes in and around Kabul. In particular Bethan spent her time assessing the progress that our Child Rights project has been making, and meeting the children, women, teachers and policemen whose lives are being changed by this training. Read Bethan's account below.

(Photo above: Policemen taking part in Child Rights training in the village of Istalif)

"About an hour outside Kabul in the foothills of the mountains that fringe the Shomali Plain lies the village of Istalif. I’ve visited Kabul many times and heard tales of weekend trips to picnic by the river or buy pottery from the numerous artisan shops but have never before had a chance to visit myself. Istalif is quite literally a breath of fresh air in comparison with the dusty streets of Kabul, I can understand why many families choose to come here at the weekends but for the past year, Children in Crisis staff have been visiting Istalif for another reason.

Children in Crisis has been conducting awareness raising in Istalif on the rights of children, using a curriculum that focuses not only on the universal principles held within the UNCRC but also draws upon Islamic texts to highlight the importance of child rights within Islam.

I’m visiting the Children in Crisis office in Afghanistan to meet with those who have been involved in this project and learn about the projects successes and challenges.

On my visit to Istalif I visited teachers who told me: ‘If we behave well with children then they will remember it forever’. As always, Children in Crisis’ focus throughout this project is on education and in villages like Istalif, we are aiming to ensure that schools are a safe place for children to be. Teachers are, therefore, provided not only with training in the rights of children, but are given practical advice on how children can be disciplined positively.

What has been particularly striking about this project as far as I can see is its impact on the wider community. In Istalif I left the male staff in the car whilst I sat with 20 women crammed into the front room of one of the women’s houses. One of the women told me: ‘Older people should not say that they can’t learn anything. I am old and I learnt a lot from you about my life’. These women attended one of Children in Crisis' participatory theatre programmes. This is a new methodology that we have been using with community members to spread positive messages and allow people to take some control over their lives. During the theatre programmes, participants are shown a variety of scenarios by actors and invited to stop the play whenever they want and participate to turn the scenario around. For many women, these workshops give them a sense of power over their lives which they otherwise lack. When I asked what these women have learnt, answers were ready at hand:‘I have been telling younger girls not to beat their children, this is something I learnt from the theatre programme.’ The men have also taken part in the training and one of the women told me: ‘all the men behave very kindly with us now, especially with our daughters’.

From mothers to teachers and police, what the villagers from Istalif seem to appreciate most is the relevance of this project to their own lives. Local Mullahs have spread positive messages about child rights in Friday prayers and a policeman proudly told me that children now say hello to him in the street rather than being afraid of him.

I’ve been very proud of the work that I have seen in this small village and it seems that slowly but surely, this project is allowing the people of Istalif to feel that they can make a difference to their own lives and the lives of their children."

(Photos above, Left: Men taking part in theatre workshop Right: Mothers receiving child rights training)

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