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PRT Kapisa brightens future for girls of Kapisa

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ashley Skillman
  • Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team
KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan --  Kapisa Ministry of Education officials, the Gulab Kapisa Construction Company and members of Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team co-hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kohi Girls' School in Afghanya, Afghanistan, March 28 to celebrate the completion of the school.

"Education is an essential part of our community and the government's effort in building a better Afghanistan," said Haji Mohammad Hashem, Nijrab District education line minister, through an interpreter. "The ability for any nation to progress depends heavily on its schools and educational system.

"That's why it's our responsibility, as the elders of Kapisa, to build a strong educational foundation for future generations to follow, enabling them to improve development and public safety for the people of Afghanistan," said Hashem.

The construction of Kohi Girls' School began in 2009. The facility has 16 classrooms, cost roughly $250,000 to build, and includes a traditional Afghan restroom, guard room, water reservoir and boundary wall. It was built to accommodate more than 400 students.

"This is a perfect example of how the people of Afghanistan and the coalition forces have worked together, shohna ba shohna (Dari translation for 'shoulder to shoulder'), to complete a project that will benefit your children and your village," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Sierco, Kapisa PRT commander from Bowie, Md., during the ceremony. "The PRT and Task Force La Fayette are very pleased with the construction of the school, and look forward to many of your children receiving a quality education within its walls."

The Kapisa PRT assists the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in providing a secure, stable environment for reconstruction efforts by increasing government officials' capabilities and capacities. The Kohi Girls' School project is an example of the development projects the PRT is using to connect the government to the people and to improve quality of life in the province.