The Afghan Development Project is on a mission to ensure that the children, men, and women to have the opportunity to receive the best education. Their latest endeavor is Internet Classroom. As I've mentioned before in my previous articles, Francesco Rulli, the president of Film Annex, has joined forces with Roya Mahboob, the CEO of the Afghan Citadel Software Company, to create the Afghan Development Project.
So far, 3 out of the 40 Internet classrooms have now been built/renovated in Afghanistan bring the world to thousands of Afghan children and vice versa. You've heard my point of view, read the issues Afghanistan faces involving child soldiers, and the negativity towards women in the Afghan Educational System. I have even discussed how the Afghan Project started, who started it, and their goals to improve Afghanistan's Educational System.
Though, just recently I was asked the money that is used to make the Internet classrooms a reality:
"Where does all the money come from?"
I hope to answer that question and more with this article. Let's begin!
With such a huge goal, where is all the money coming from?
With a budget for each school $15,000 per month, there are many ways Film Annex managed to raise the funds. Corporate backers are to thank for a vast majority of the money available for making the Afghan Development Project a reality. Organizations like USAID make the top of the list.
Film Annex Webtv raised over $25k through affiliate marketing, sponsorship, and partners.
There are many more corporate backers for this initiative, such as Advertise.com CEO Daniel Yomtobian and AdonNetwork CEO Bhaskar Ballapragada. For a complete list of and interviews with sponsors, click here.
Wow, that's a lot of money! What is it being used for?
- To create Internet classrooms and the necessities needed to power them. The classrooms are first renovated beforehand and then the computers are installed before the classroom is unveiled With motivation and the ability to build these Internet schools rather rapidly, the Afghanistan Educational System is one step further towards rebuilding itself thanks to the efforts that Film Annex has orchestrated with the production of Internet classrooms.
- Micro Scholarships. Even more exciting is the scholarships available to top students who excel in specific subjects within the Afghanistan Educational System. . That's fantastic! Who doesn't like rewards for doing their best?
- Examer, a computer program, is installed into the computers to access online teaching tools for the students and teachers. Examer is then linked to Film Annex's database so that monitor the students, rewarding the top student's families' with Mobile Payments.
What are Mobile Payments, and what do they have to do with Afghan Development Project?
It's a fourth subsidiary for the money used in the Afghan Development Project. It's an incentive program involving Afghan mobile network companies that USAID has signed agreements with :
- Etisalat,
- MTN, and
- Roshan M-Paisa.
This is a great incentive to students to do better and for parents to send their children to school. Whenever a student receives a good grade on a test, the money (usually $1, but depends on test type) is transferred via mobile phones to the parents.
Why is the success of the Afghan Development initiative so important to the improvement of Afghanistan's Educational System?
With each step towards providing more and more education for Afghanistan youth, money for the budget will be increased by adding other sponsors and investors.
Rulli's goal is to start with a small budget and allow it to grow into a larger budget based on quality of work created by the students. They promote their Web TV on third-party sites and social networks and any other social media tool out there that enables you to share content.
If there is anything else you would like to know about the Afghanistan Initiative, please see my articles about the subject at my WebTv channel, or visit the Afghan Development page on Film Annex.
Keisha Douglas is an independent filmmaker who specializes in music videos. When she is not filming, she spends much of her time blogging and freelance writing. She is the voice behind Mito Vox, an entertainment & etc. blog. To learn more about her freelance services visit her website. View all her Film Annex posts on her WebTv Channel.
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