The author, at age 60-something, decided she was ready to do tackle something different, somewhere completely different. This book recounts the school year she spent in Kabul, teaching at the American University of Afghanistan. She tells of her life at the school, in the guesthouse, and out and about in the city--all within the security parameters necessary in a war zone. Life with the threat of kidnapping and bombings was not so easy.

The author, at age 60-something, decided she was ready to do tackle something different, somewhere completely different. This book recounts the school year she spent in Kabul, teaching at the American University of Afghanistan. She tells of her life at the school, in the guesthouse, and out and about in the city--all within the security parameters necessary in a war zone. Life with the threat of kidnapping and bombings was not so easy.

Razia dreams of getting an education, but in her small village in Afghanistan, girls haven’t been allowed to attend school for many years. When a new girls’ school opens in the village, a determined Razia must convince her father and oldest brother that educating her would be best for her, their family and their community.

Millions of girls have entered school in Afghanistan, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. It is one of the few good news stories of the last nine years. However, the deteriorating security situation and the international community's focus on stabilization and counter-insurgency rather than on long-term development means this good news story is in danger of turning bad. A new approach from both the Afghan government and donors is urgently required to hold onto the gains that have been made. This report is based on field research carried out in the summer of 2010 in 17 provinces out of a total of 34 in Afghanistan. It was conducted by Oxfam and 15 partner organizations, including 13 Afghan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) plus CARE and Swedish Committee of Afghanistan (SCA).

A sharp and arresting people's-eye view of real life in Afghanistan after the Taliban Soon after the bombing of Kabul ceased, award-winning journalist and women's rights activist Ann Jones set out for the shattered city, determined to bring help where her country had brought destruction. Here is her trenchant report from inside a city struggling to rise from the ruins. Working among the multitude of impoverished war widows, retraining Kabul's long-silenced English teachers, and investigating the city's prison for women, Jones enters a large community of female outcasts: runaway child brides, pariah prostitutes, cast-off wives, victims of rape. In the streets and markets, she hears the Afghan view of the supposed benefits brought by the fall of the Taliban, and learns that regarding women as less than human is the norm, not the aberration of one conspicuously repressive regime. Jones confronts the ways in which Afghan education, culture, and politics have repeatedly been hijacked—by Communists, Islamic fundamentalists, and the Western free marketeers—always with disastrous results. And she reveals, through small events, the big disjunctions: between U.S promises and performance, between the new "democracy" and the still-entrenched warlords, between what's boasted of and what is. At once angry, profound, and starkly beautiful, Kabul in Winter brings alive the people and day-to-day life of a place whose future depends so much upon our own.

What Woman Would Willingly Move to Afghanistan? No woman in her right mind would choose to live in war-ravaged, male-dominated Afghanistan unless she had the golden opportunity to lead the best school in the country. In 2005, following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Gail Goolsby reluctantly found herself the founding principal of the International School of Kabul in Afghanistan. The how, when, and why make for a captivating and insightful story. Unveiled Truth pulls back the curtain of distant cultures and reveals the challenge of overseas living. With humor and transparency, Gail shares dramatic scenes from her seven years in Kabul and unveils the lessons she learned. Mortar blasts, campus lockdowns, work disputes, cultural restrictions, and the lack of daily conveniences are some of the many challenges she faced. Though her time in Afghanistan proved difficult, Gail chose to stay, hoping to improve the lives of young people caught up in a treacherous world. In this book, Gail encourages us to view Afghan culture in a new light, teaches us what she learned about responding to personal failures and relational difficulties, and inspires us to give of ourselves, so that in the process, we too can be irrevocably changed, just as Kabul forever changed her for the better.

Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, eleven-year-old Fadi and his family emigrate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Fadi schemes to return to the Pakistani refugee camp where his little sister was accidentally left behind.

A MEMOIR BY THE YOUNGEST RECIPIENT OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE As seen on Netflix with David Letterman "I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday." When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

Under the protection of foreign forces, a special place has flourished in Afghanistan. The Marefat School is an award-winning institution in the western slums of Kabul, built by one of the country’s most vulnerable minorities, the Hazara. Marefat educates both girls and boys; it teaches students to embrace the arts, criticize their leaders, interrogate their religion, and be active citizens in a rapidly changing country. But they are dependent on foreign forces for security. When the United States begins to withdraw from Afghanistan, they are left behind, unprotected. Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey E. Stern explores the stakes of war through the eyes of those touched by Marefat: the school’s daring founder and leader, Aziz Royesh; a mother of five who finds freedom in literacy; a clever mechanic; a self-taught astronomer; the school’s security director; and several intrepid students who carry Marefat’s mission to the streets. We see how Marefat has embraced the United States and blossomed under its presence---and how much it stands to lose as that protection disappears. The Last Thousand tells the story of what we leave behind when our foreign wars end. It shows us up close the promise, as well as the peril, of our military adventures abroad. Stern presents a nuanced and fascinating portrait of the complex history of Afghanistan, its American occupation, and the ways in which once community rallies together in compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring detail.

A year's worth of ideas and activities to revitalize every teacher's class "I see this as an absolutely necessary tool no matter what your subject area or grade level. The information contained in the index alone is worth the price of this book!" --Alexis Ludewig, Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, 2002 "The kids especially like the Internet links to find special facts about a given day of the year." --Tracy Callard, Kansas Teacher of the Year, 2002 "A wonderful resource to supplement our required curriculum!" --Melinda Day Webster, Tennessee Teacher of the Year, 2002 For more than five years, The Teacher's Calendar has been a fixture in classrooms and school libraries across the country. You will find innovative ideas for lessons, bulletin boards, and school calendars on every page. Sidebars highlight specific dates and provide curriculum ideas, lists of appropriate books, and related websites. 5,000 month-by-month, day-by-day listings, all fully updated and revised 50 new essays on how to use this material in your classroom Appendixes with U.S., Canada, and Mexico at-a-glance facts And more! With its extensive listings and seemingly inexhaustible treasure of classroom ideas, The Teacher's Calendar will take the guesswork out of lesson planning and put fun and creativity back into your classroom.