Build a soccer field adjacent to the newly completed Mir Bocha Kot School to provide recreation space for Afghan school children and the community of Mir Bocha Kot, Afghanistan.
August 2007
$ 10,000
The new Kyleigh Kuhn Roots of Peace School is located in the Shomali region, a former battle zone that was hit particularly hard during the Soviet invasion and subsequent civil conflict. Landmines were indiscriminately used by all warring factions leaving the region a very dangerous place, particularly for innocent children who make up over half of Afghanistan’s landmine victims. Incredibly, the trenches dug by the warring factions were still visible 15 feet from the school yard, reminding all of the potential dangers still present in the surrounding ground. With increasing enrollment at the school, the need to build a surrounding wall enclosure to ensure the safety of the students became increasingly more urgent.
There is also a great need following conflicts for restoring community to help sustain what often is a fragile peace. Schools can serve as a starting point and center for social change in Afghan communities. Sports are essential to every child’s development – especially in communities ravaged by conflict. More than any other activity, sport, though its shared fundamental human values of respect, fair play and teamwork, are a vital part of a school curriculum that can strengthen the interaction between communities and cultures. However, sports are unthinkable in mined areas and fields for recreation are often ranked at the bottom of the priority list for demining. The investment in building recreational facilities on the safe school grounds at the Kyleigh Kuhn Roots of Peace School became a natural pathway forward in restoring a future of hope to the students and community in Mir Bocha Kot.
RoP was please to receive funding from US Afghan Women's Council Gift Fund to continue crucial projects at the Kyleigh Kuhn Roots of Peace School and address the vital needs for both safety and community-building in Mir Bocha Kot.
RoP is delighted to report completion of the Mir Bocha Kot School Soccer Field project to build a perimeter wall and soccer field, erect soccer goals and provide uniforms and equipment. In addition, RoP was able to expand the scope of the project to include the building four new toilets on the school grounds, greatly enhancing the privacy and sanitary conditions for students and faculty alike. RoP is also extremely pleased to report that the Afghan Ministry of Rural Development has committed funds to building a new library and two additional classrooms rooms at the Kyleigh Kuhn Roots of Peace School, demonstrating their formal recognition of the new school.
Gary Kuhn, RoP’s Executive Director, visited the project site in January 2008 and verified both the completion and high level of quality of work on the project. Specifically, the work completed included leveling 292 square meters of land, building a foundation wall surrounding the school that measures 148 square meters in length at a height of 3 meters, made of kiln-dried bricks with a cement overcoat. The material choice was based on selecting materials readily available and requiring little or no maintenance. Two metal gates were built into the wall – a main entrance and a side entrance. The four new toilets are located in the perimeter wall near the side entrance gate.
Students will return to school following the winter break in the spring of 2008 to new a soccer field and equipment.
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