Aid and development projects are most effective when the basic needs of the people are first met. Consistent access to clean water, viable and sustainable sources of electricity and education comprise the foundation of successful development programs. Educational opportunities are extraordinarily limited in many provinces of Afghanistan. As a result, children often live without access to necessities such as electricity and educational opportunities. As cycles of conflict have shown, education and basic economic development are needed for sustainable peace.
The Solution
Basic micro-hydro systems can meet the need for electricity in remote villages for a low cost when they are located in proximity to a river with flowing water. Such conditions exist in many areas of Nooristan province, one of the most underserved areas in post-Taliban Afghanistan. When electricity becomes available to villages, literacy rates will rise as children and their families will be able to study by light, and schools and homes can be heated. Access to books, along with literacy programs, improves poverty. Mobile libraries have been developed in Afghanistan by reliable organizations that have printed books in local languages on practical topics that can help children and their families.
Campaign
The Nooristan Foundation has launched the EmPower a Village campaign to raise funds for a program that will provide light through electricity, followed by learning through books to families in impoverished areas. The concept is simple: Micro-hydro equipment, after which small mobile libraries will be provided “village to village.”
Costs
For a comparatively low level of funding, resources can be acquired that would encourage development in very remote areas. Based upon the successful installation of micro-hydro systems in four villages since 2015, the cost of the solution is manageable and known. Donations would go towards:
Light and Learning for 250 families = $4,500
Light and Learning for 100 families = $3,000
The funding goals are for the provision of the equipment and books. Transportation costs to each village would vary based upon distance from Kabul and would be added to the budget needed to successfully implement the program.
THE IMPACT
The electricity created by the micro-hydro equipment would provide light for each village. By providing electricity and light, the micro-hydro system would provide the opportunity for reading and learning unbounded by the restrictions of darkness. Children could read and write for greater amounts of time and mobile libraries would support education in practical subjects. By providing power to light and heat homes and schools, along with books to educate children and families, the EmPower a Village campaign will empower families in these villages to stand on their own feet and have a better future. This program will facilitate an environment conducive to advancing educational opportunities and a future based upon development and sustainable peace, rather than poverty and conflict