Hundreds of Students in Afghanistan are Ready for Success Thanks to LIFE’s Back-to-School Program
- ajoyce140
- Oct 22
- 2 min read
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," - Nelson Mandela.
In October 2025, Life for Relief and Development helped place hundreds of children in Afghanistan on the path to a brighter future through its Back-to-School Program. This vital program gives students in underprivileged communities the tools they need to not just attend school but also reach their full potential.
While Afghanistan is showing signs of slow recovery, according to the World Bank, the effects of over 30 years of violent conflict and instability have left enormous challenges to overcome. Infrastructure throughout the country is inadequate, leaving many children out of school due to a lack of proper school buildings, safe water and clean sanitation facilities, and a lack of qualified teachers, particularly women. Overwhelmingly, though, it is poverty that keeps children out of school. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that almost half of Afghanistan's entire population lives below the poverty line, resulting in children often dropping out of school due to economic barriers and they are sometimes forced into child labor to help their families earn an income. An estimated 4 million children in Afghanistan are reported to be out of school.
When it comes to education, impoverished children often suffer from low confidence and motivation, and teachers frequently believe that poor children, typically first-generation learners, are incapable of reaching their potential. To uplift vulnerable children and to protect them from the burden of having to beg or work for the necessary items needed for school, LIFE distributed backpacks filled with school supplies to 670 students from six different schools. Each backpack included notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and sharpeners.
While it may seem like a small gesture, it is truly one that can make all the difference between learning and being successful in school or feeling defeated and leaving school altogether.
The children and their families were overwhelmed with gratitude as the young students received full backpacks. One student, Khalid, is an orphan who lost his father. His mother struggles daily to support them because she has few opportunities to earn money. After Khalid received his backpack, he eagerly organized all his books and pens and said to his mother,
“Tomorrow I will go to school like the other children, and one day I will become someone great who can help solve our world’s problems.”
To all of our donors, thank you. For 670 children, the future is already looking brighter.
