British soldiers based in Musa Qaleh have been helping their Afghan National Army (ANA) counterparts with a new initiative to help defeat the insurgency in Helmand province - improving education for Afghan children. The ANA identified a shortage of education opportunities in an area of Musa Qaleh and along with soldiers from 1 RIFLES set about developing a temporary school.

 

A spokesman from 1 RIFLES says:
“We were both stunned and heartened to see the immediate and overwhelming support that the school attracted.  Within just a few days the school was teaching 80 boys six days a week from 0800-1200hrs.  Teaching does not take place in the afternoons as the children have to work in the fields then.  After just a couple of weeks the school was attracting up to 120 children each day. The school project has had a major impact on the area: local feelings towards the ANA and British soldiers are enhanced and the Taliban recognise the danger to their propaganda from the school.  Indeed, the Taliban were so concerned that they fired a couple of rockets at the nearby Patrol Base and stepped up their intimidation in the local area threatening to cut off the limbs of any child attending the school.  I was greatly heartened when attendance at the school continued unabated in the light of these threats.”

FULL STORY HERE

July 2009: the Musa Qaleh School Project has now been fully taken on by the Afghan Ministry of Education realising the aim of delivering long term sustainable education to the people of south west Musa Qaleh.”

The Afghan Appeal Fund aims to encourage and support projects like these which have such a positive impact on the ground.