PRT beautifies Afghan girls' school

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command combat camera team
QALAT CITY, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Airmen from Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul are partnering with Zabul Province government officials to make school life more pleasant by overseeing improvements for 1,200 Afghan high school and elementary students at the Bibi Khala Girls' School here.

"Coming out here and seeing the smiling faces is something I always look forward to," said 1st Lt. Rebecca Heyse, the PRT Zabul information officer. " Anything we can do to make learning a pleasant experience for them is something I will cherish forever."

Zabul PRT members are overseeing improvements to the school, including painting classrooms and hallways, new doors and windows, plastering walls, putting in a vegetable garden, and building a women's park, where local women can come mentor and commune with students here.

"The last two PRTs that have come to assist the school here have helped us tremendously," said Mehmooda, the Bibi Khala Girls' School head mistress. "The PRT has shown great support for the school and its students. Our young ladies feel more secure and have less fear since the PRT has been involved with us. Also, our girls enjoy all the improvements, because they feel like somebody cares about them."

Previously, PRT Zabul members aided the school by overseeing the building of a teaching garden, putting in landscaping, and construction of an irrigation system.
The project cost more than $300,000.

"Working with the contractors here and seeing the school change has been awesome," said 1st Lt. Keith Yelk, a PRT Zabul engineer. "It's great to give these Afghan children a chance to function in a learning environment that's not only comfortable, but pleasant to look at."

The school teaches children math, Pashtu, traditional Afghan learning and some English, a skill that some of the Afghan girls are improving in with each visit.

"It was a thrill to sing the ABC song with some of the students here," said Lieutenant Heyse said. "I have learned a few Pashtu phrases as well, but they speak English way better than I speak Pashtu. For me though, seeing them enjoying their school environment makes me feel like the improvements we are helping them make to the school, are a real investment in these children's future."

Currently the Zabul team has 14 PRT-led projects including bridge reconstruction, hospital improvements, perimeter wall repairs, school construction, emergency road repairs, trash services, nursery security upgrades and irrigation wells. These projects, coupled with several other improvement operations being led by Afghan government officials, are organized and prioritized to best benefit the people here.

"The girls school project is one of many we have worked with Afghan leadership in the region to facilitate and prioritize for the betterment of Afghan citizens here," Lieutenant Yelk said. "Moving forward, we will continue to help the Afghan government complete projects like these to build trust and improve the creditability of Afghan leaders and the people they serve."

"I think our school is pretty," said one smiling Afghan student. "I really like it here."

"We are here to help," Lieutenant Heyse said. "We still have a lot of challenges in Afghanistan but day-by-day it gets better. Helping the school here is a small step but it's a step in the right direction."