I've been browsing some of Film Annex's movies about development in Afghanistan (check out my channel movies HERE). The word that comes to mind is:
FINALLY!!!!
The Afghan Development Project is about connection, communication and collaboration. It is only through initiatives like this that we can hope for peace in the region as well as a mutually beneficial relationship between Afghanistan and it's neighbors (and yes, that does include the U.S.).
FA has created a web channel called the Afghan Development Web TV with the sole purpose of showing the world the truth about Afghanistan. It will broadcast current event videos, interviews, and news clips as well as archival material. No more media spin or only hearing a portion of what's happening. This will allow people to see a new side of the country - one that seeks not just an end to violence, but a promotion of education, business, and prosperity.
I read that the first step in the project is 40 Internet Classrooms and 400 computers to connect 160,000 Afghan children. This is a great step - but must also be used appropriately. If the U.S. is any indication, there must also come with it education on how to use the technology to its potential.
Any school or program that focuses on just putting more computers in the classroom as an end to itself will undermine any transformation that technology can provide. The prupose is not to make Afghan classrooms state of the art, but to connect the students in that classroom to what's happening in the world and vice versa.
Honestly, aren't we all tired of seeing the word "Afghanistan" on the TV accompanied only by pictures of explosions and bodies? How powerful a message it would be if instead we were met with a classroom full of smiling faces learning about basic business principles or health topics!
Other people should join FA not just in this project, but in the mindset that will inevitably produce positive results. It is a process:
COMMUNICATION - UNDERSTANDING - PEACE - PROSPERITY
