Afghan Institute of Learning Skoll Awardee Profile

Organization Overview

Key Info

Social Entrepreneur Sakena Yacoobi

Year Awarded 2006

Issue Area Addressed Economic Opportunity, Education, Health, Peace and Human Rights

Sub Issue Area Addressed Early Childhood to Primary Education, Health Delivery, Human Rights, Livelihoods, Peace, Post-Secondary Education, Women's and Girls' Education

Countries Served Afghanistan, Pakistan

Website http://afghaninstituteoflearning.org/

Twitter handle AIL_ngo, sakenayacoobi

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CreatingHopeInter national

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/CreatingHopeI nt/feed About the Organization

The Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) is rebuilding education and health systems in Afghanistan and empowering Afghans to use critical thinking skills to solve their own problems and transform their lives, communities, and country. Through its holistic, community-based approach, AIL partners with communities requiring their participation in identifying needs and their contribution to the innovative education, health and training programs provided by AIL. An Afghan organization run mainly by women, AIL benefits all needy people (70 percent female).

Founder Dr. Sakena Yacoobi realized that for Afghans to learn and transform their lives, good health and access to quality education is crucial. Essential to good education was training teachers to move from rote memorization to methodologies that help students learn critical thinking skills. AIL has been a leader in developing quality teacher training programs. AIL also provides training in human rights, peace, elections, leadership, and democracy so Afghans can model and then rebuild the core values of a society based on respect, economic opportunity, and care for all.

Recognizing that years of conflict have resulted in loss of culture and traditions, AIL supports literary, cultural, music, and craft programs by publishing books, holding Love and Forgiveness Conferences using the poetry of Rumi. The organization also supports cultural and music programs in schools and through Radio Meraj, a private radio station founded by Dr. Yacoobi.

Impact

Since 1996, AIL reports that over 474,056 students have attended AIL schools and Learning Centers. AIL has trained a total of 29,150 teachers, benefiting at least 10.7 million Afghans. 43,215 students have participated in leadership, human rights, capacity, and health workshops. AIL’s health clinics have provided services to 3.1 million patients and given health education to 3.2 million women and children. More than 70 percent of AIL beneficiaries are female. More importantly, in areas where AIL has partnered with communities there have been dramatic changes in thinking. Education is accepted as valuable for all, including girls and women. Community members trust their neighbors and have learned to work together. Communities recognize the value of education for women and girls and hold positive attitudes toward women working and holding leadership positions. AIL’s work is known and respected throughout Afghanistan. Many communities model their programs after those of AIL. AIL’s preschools have been the model for the nation. AIL’s teacher training curriculum has been adopted by the Afghan government. AIL’s teacher training staff is considered one of the best in the nation. There is a long waiting list of places which would like to host AIL’s Love and Forgiveness conferences which provide a peaceful, culturally appropriate alternative to conflict in Afghanistan. Path to Scale

Empower communities to become self-sufficient and no longer reliant on AIL, thus inspiring other communities to do the same on their own or with AIL's temporary assistance.

Social Entrepreneur

Born in Herat, Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi came to the United States in the 1970s to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health. In the 1980s, she worked as a health consultant at D’Etre University in Michigan. From 1992 to 1995, she worked for the International Rescue Committee in Pakistan, increasing the number of Afghan refugee girls enrolled in IRC-supported schools from 3,000 to 15,000. During that time, she also served on the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief delegation of the United Nations, as well as on the United Nations Rehabilitation Plan for Afghanistan. During the mid-1990s, funding for education and health programs in Afghanistan was cut dramatically as a result of the Taliban’s grip on power. Sakena was determined to keep education, training and health programs going, despite the Taliban’s opposition. From her experience working with many Afghans in the refugee camps, Sakena realized that a new approach was needed. She founded the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) in 1995 to address these issues. Dr. Yacoobi and AIL have received many awards including the Sunhak Peace Prize (2017), the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education (2016), the WISE Prize for Education Laureate (2015) and the Opus Prize (2013). Dr. Yacoobi has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Equilibrium Overview

Current Equilibrium

Over three decades of conflict have made Afghan society extremely vulnerable, with inadequate health and education systems, physical infrastructure, weak governance and a level of distrust that inhibits community collaboration and empowerment. The rise of the Taliban in 1996 and its strict regulations on women made women and girls especially vulnerable in Afghan society. Despite the inclusion of women’s rights in the 2003 constitution and the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law adopted in 2009, gender inequality persists due to weak enforcement and sociocultural attitudes towards women’s role in society, especially in rural areas. While progress has been made in the past decade, only 46% of girls attend primary school, just 21% of girls attend secondary school [i] and maternal mortality rates remain high at 460 deaths per 100K live births (23rd lowest global ranking in 2010). Ongoing security threats in the Middle East dampen economic growth, estimated at just 2% in 2016, and exacerbate unemployment rates, which reached a peak of 40% of the population in 2016. The lack of strong democratic institutions remains an underlying obstacle to economic and social progress in Afghanistan. Foreign aid, humanitarian assistance and policy have been ineffective in addressing the multifaceted issues addressing the country; poor coordination and limited engagement with the communities undermine aid efforts. The Afghan people want to rebuild their society, but the ongoing conflict in the region leads to fear, lack of trust, displacement and ongoing poverty that inhibit communities from working together to achieve this goal. With limited access to information and poor mobility in many parts of the country, individuals are less engaged in political processes and in shaping the future of their country. In light of these factors, Afghanistan continues to fall behind in global development rankings, including ranking 171st out of 188 countries in the Human Development Index (2015) and 132 out of 133 countries on the 2016 Social Progress Index. [i] These attendance figures represent the “Net primary/secondary school attendance” data prepared by UNICEF (2008-2012). The data is defined as the percentage of girls in the age group that officially corresponds to primary/secondary schooling who attend primary school. The data is collected through national household surveys.

New Equilibrium

In the new equilibrium, Afghanistan’s people are educated, healthy and self-sufficient. Entrenched cultural norms about the role of women have begun to shift, and Afghan women have access to education and more secure, stable livelihoods for themselves and their families. A democratic Afghan government partners with the international community to coordinate development efforts and to restore security and stabilize the country. Armed with an education and access to information, individuals are engaged in a democratic political process and empowered to generate change in their communities.

Innovation

Approach: When AIL began its work, Afghans had been at war for 16 years. AIL believed that holistic education and training was the key to help Afghans transform their lives and their country. In working with this vulnerable population, AIL learned that that people in conflict zones want and need help, but that they needed to be tailored to their unique challenges. AIL therefore seeks to support Afghanistan’s transformation through a grassroots, community-driven and culturally-sensitive approach that incorporates the following core principles: 1) involve the community; 2) allow communities to define their own needs; 3) listen to the community; 4) provide high-quality and culturally sensitive trainings and programs; 5) whatever you promise, deliver; 6) take the time to cultivate trust, and work to maintain it. AIL believes that through participation, community members come to see their individual potential for self-sufficiency and are empowered to shape the future of their country. Programming: AIL’s programming focuses on comprehensive education, training, health services and cultural programs to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable citizens (especially women and girls) in order to foster critical thinking skills, community participation, entrepreneurship, self-sufficiency and economic independence. It currently operates in eight provinces in Afghanistan and for refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan. AIL’s programming is differentiated for the following reasons: To build community buy-in and trust, AIL only engages with communities at their request and does not move forward with any plans or programs without the community’s full support and individual commitments to contribute.AIL exits communities once the program is able to run on its own or once the needs have been met. AIL is committed to learning from its programming and adapting its work to most effectively reach the needs of vulnerable Afghanis. AIL integrates its adaptive programming approach into its program delivery.AIL has a strong gender focus. In addition to offering women- focused health and educational infrastructure development, AIL is led and staffed by 70% women. Key program areas include: Health: Direct services: AIL has 4 clinics in Afghanistan that provide basic health services, with a specific focus on reproductive health and nutrition. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, AIL also runs Community Health Worker posts. The CHWs work in teams of two (one man and one woman) to refer patients to the clinic, provide basic medical support and educate the community on sound health practices.Health education: AIL offers comprehensive workshops covering topics like reproductive health, expectant mother training, family planning and nutrition. AIL works to integrate health education into all aspects of its programming, including its clinics and CHW work and through its Learning Centers. Education: Schools and Learning Centers: AIL provides a network of schools (Pakistan) and educational Learning Centers (Afghanistan) [i] focused on preschool through secondary courses; the content of the Learning Centers is chosen to align with the specific needs of the community. In addition, AIL provides workshops through its Learning Centers and to civil society members to prepare participants to be leaders and take part in developing their country. The content of the workshops includes: human rights, women’s rights, voting / political process, peace, leadership, love / forgiveness, and traditional afghan arts and crafts. AIL provides Human Rights and Leadership Workshops that focus on empowering women to become leaders and eliminate violence against women.AIL provides Election Workshops to help participants (men and women) understand the importance of voting and to empower them to participate in the political process.AIL opened a Legal Aid for Women Center in 2015, where it partners with the Ministry of Women Affairs (MOWA) and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to provide legal advice to women in need. Teacher Training: AIL trains teachers in interactive, student- centered methods that differ from traditional teaching methods in Afghanistan. Teachers are trained by AIL and then receive follow-up supervision and progress assessment along with regular training sessions to become effective educators. The Ministry of Education, public and private schools, and AIL Learning Centers request training from AIL. AIL believes the success of its education programs lies with its Master Teacher Trainers (MTTs), which began as a response to train teachers in Afghan refugee camps. MTTs have completed several years of a training program developed initially by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi and refined over the years by AIL staff, and visit each training center at least once per month to monitor and evaluate teachers and administrators.Cultural Programs: AIL holds love and forgiveness workshops and conferences using the poetry of Rumi and others to help Afghans get in touch with their historical spiritual and cultural roots. AIL also publishes a health, education and cultural magazine at least once each year. Finally, AIL supports traditional Afghan arts and crafts such as glassblowing, calligraphy, tile-making and carpet weaving. New Initiatives: New initiatives include a fully-funded private radio programming station, mobile literacy program, youth sports and environment programs, centers for disabled adults, orphans and street children. AIL is also in early stages of developing a 2-year full-time institute for female high school graduates to provide hands-on entrepreneurship, leadership and vocational training skills. In spring 2018, AIL also began to select and work with 50 promising Afghani women working in government with the goal to propel these rising leaders, promote efficient public work, and help instill trust in government institutions. AIL's engagement is focused on a 3.5-month course where the women meet twice per month for a class, providing a platform for the women to share their ideas through its radio station, and motivating these female leaders to continue their work in public service. In addition to the focus areas identified above, AIL maintains some funds for emergency response efforts when necessary; past support includes emergency response to the 2015 earthquake in Afghanistan and the 2014 floods in Pakistan. [i] Note on terminology: AIL operates "schools" and "Learning Centers" as a part of its education programming. Because the government in Afghanistan runs public schools, AIL does not use this term for its program and instead uses the term "Learning Centers." AIL's "schools" refer to its education centers in refugee camps in Pakistan.

Ambition for Change

Provide all Afghans with programs to relieve their suffering, enabling them to raise their educational, health, social, and economic levels and be able to solve their own problems. Foster self-reliance and trust by involving Afghans in program decision-making processes. Require community participation and contribution in all programs.