Afghanistan Earthquake Relief
From Absence to Presence
Daly has transformed from skipping school and not caring about her education to a model student who helps others to learn.
School Wasn't Important
“I never paid attention to my teacher,” says Daly who used to skip class to herd cattle or look after her brother while her parents worked in the field. “I didn’t want to go to school because it was difficult to ask friends for a ride, and it was too far to walk,” the 5th grader adds.
Daly has a big family. She lives with her mother, father, siblings and grandparents. Before Grade 3, she had no idea why she had to study hard. Daly’s mother, Ratha, who is illiterate says, “I didn’t know how to help my children learn because I can’t read”. The family often suffered bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea due to lack of knowledge of hygiene and sanitation.Adopting a New Hobby
Since World Vision started implementing development work in Daly’s community through Child Sponsorship, education, food and water security, and healthcare services have been improved. The programme also raise awareness of rights of children, child protection and the importance of education.Daly became a sponsored child in 2012 and since she joined the children’s club, she has made remarkable academic progress. Children gather at the club to learn and play. Daly’s new hobby is reading. She reads in the library, at children’s club and home. She enjoys sharing her learning with others. She has become a group leader and teaches alphabets and maths to 10 other youngsters at the club. “I never think sharing makes me lose out. I don’t care if my friends achieve a higher ranking than me. I like to share my knowledge, it’s a good thing to do,” she says.
Wisdom Gained
Daly's mother (left) says: "I want to see my children finish school and have a good job."
Daly and her siblings received bicycles from World Vision, so they can get to school easily. Besides promoting the importance of education, World Vision has also raised awareness about hygiene and sanitation in their community. Daly’s family has learned to always cover their food from flies, wash hands properly and drink filtered and boiled water; as a result, they have less chance of having diarrhoea and vomiting.
Today, Daly has a respectable rank in class and receives an annual government scholarship. The 12-year-old’s favourite subject is literature. “I want to be a teacher because I like teaching. I want to see children in my community educated. Educated people respect each other. They’re not violent,” Daly expresses.
