International Bulletin - August 2002
Visit to the Tent Schools in Pakistan
 An Afghani family near one of the camp "houses" made of old planks and mud.  Afghani girls in a "morning school" in a camp near Islamabad, eager to learn.  Curious children in the street who gathered to see "Kameez", Ulrike, as she walked the streets of the camp.  A usual form of conveyance for refugees in a camp in Pakistan |
My husband and I visit the Indian subcontinent almost annually for personal reasons. When I heard that Ms. Ingeborg Brienes had taken the office of UNESCO Director in Islamabad, I was really impressed and happy. I contacted her prior to our arrival in Pakistan and had agreed with our Hawai'I PPSEAWA Board what was to be done with our chapter's donation. It was a great pleasure to se her again, and in such a different place, as we had met in the Cook Islands a year before. We talked about the overall problems of refugees, for themselves and for the host country, and we both agreed that programs to prepare the refugees return to their homelands are the most beneficial. Ms. Brienes gave me a brief overview of the financial and social obstacles she had encountered in her first months in office and her rally in support of an educational program in the Afghan camps.
Although I am very familiar with Pakistan, especially Islamabad, I was surprised to learn that the Afghan refugee camps were so close to the city. We had driven past the "old camps" in Peshwar in prior years. I have always felt distraught at the sight of them.
Ingeborg kindly arranged for me to be escorted to a camp right outside the Capitol. The UNESCO school is in the middle of the camp and built of mud and old wood planks as are the "houses" of the camp. The presence of the UNESCO car and a "western" woman in Shalwar Kameez (me!) drew an immediate crowd of children. I am lucky to be familiar with "slum" areas as I have visited many poor areas of India, Philippines and Thailand before, without hesitation. So, it was easy for me to meet with the school staff , stroll down the main "street", and chat with some of the people in my path. I returned to the school two days later to attend a "morning school". I discovered with horror that they were still using the old "Taliban" textbooks. When I informed Ingeborg about this she assured me that new textbooks were being printed in Kabul and will be introduced shortly. Ms. Breines was getting ready to go to Kabul to initiate further assistance to the Afghan refugees.
In retrospect, I am glad to know that refugees are returning home, more all the time. While they live in the camps and attend the camp schools, it is good to know that PPSEAWA has sent support and may the children have had an opportunity to find peace and hope in their lives.
Editor's note: PPSEAWA-USA as well as PPSEAWA-Hawai'I and perhaps other member countries sent generous donations to aid the "tent schools" in Pakistan.
Last Modified: November 29, 2002