Development Ratings

Afghan Connection raises funds through presentations to individuals, trusts, businesses and communities, as well as through annual events and twinned schools presentations. The twinned schools policy increases awareness and raises some funds through school events and selling handicrafts made by the Afghan pupils.

On average, a new Afghan school costs around £40,000 and takes a year to build. A further £5,000 equips it. (This compares to a US NGO’s quoted construction costs of ~$160,000 per school, so the charity and SCA are keeping costs under control.) The Model Schools programme outlines the needs of 10 schools. It details the number of extra classrooms needed as well as other construction and equipment required to bring the schools up to model school standard. Costs range from £500 for a well, £2,500 for repairs, or £10,000 for a surrounding wall, up to £104,000 to provide 18 classrooms, offices, a wall and a well, a latrine block and equipment. Mashad School of 2,700 girls has 55 classes of children in 11 classrooms over three shifts. There is a need for around 14 new classrooms to reduce the daily shifts to two so as to be able to extend the lesson time to longer than 25 minutes per lesson. However, there are a total of 43 schools currently identified and costed for building work, updating, equipping or refurbishment, at a total expense of £1.3m. The needs of these schools, and more that are on the waiting list, will be addressed as and when funds are raised.

Afghan Connection works in close cooperation with Merlin who have asked the charity to fund a consultant to support a community midwife education programme in two provinces. This would require two separate month long visits by an Afghan midwife and an expatriate midwifery consultant to advise the local programme coordinators. The cost is estimated at £10,000. Currently, travel costs and some staff and office costs are paid under a three year EU twinned schools grant. Should this grant not be extended, there will be a need to fund core costs. This is a common requirement of charities and would increase flexibility and efficiency. In this case, funding the director’s salary should be a priority as she is currently partly volunteer.