The Afghan Scouts Program

By Marnie Gustavson

February 24, 2010

Saluting to the national anthem

In 2010, PARSA began the Afghan Scouts program in the national orphanages of Afghanistan. As a part of the Healthy Afghan Child program, we have adapted the program to meet the specific needs of vulnerable Afghan children who do not have consistent support from family members.

The program provides a positive environment for training scouts to be leaders. Scout curriculum includes life skills and vocational training through the merit badge program. With our scout trainers, PARSA also conducts psychosocial and leadership training classes.

Over the last three years, PARSA has trained Afghan government staff in our social work mrthods. Our staff decided that the children in the orphanages needed additional lessons in how to create a community, care for each other, and advocate for their rights.

Color Guard

The Afghan Scout program began in 2009 in the Tai Maskan and Allahoddin orphanaes with 20 boys and 20 girls. Called Troop 001, these scouts are now teaching more children in the orphanages to be Afghan scouts. Last month, five of the Afghan Scout leaders organized themselves and requested a meeting with the new Minister of Labor and Social Affairs to review problems they were having with orphanage staff.

In 2010, PARSA hopes to bring 850 children in three orphanages into the Afghan Scouts. We hope that our work developing the program will be utilized by the Ministry of Education to support the development of an extensive Afghan Scouts program in the national school system.

Our program has been supported by ISAF and United States Embassy staff over the last three months and we deeply appreciate their contributions to this important endeavor. We hope that the Afghan Scouts program will bring  attention to the plight of children in the national orphanages and that the Afghan public will see that investment in these children will yield leaders for the future.

Click here to read more about Afghan Scouts on MSNBC.

Click here to watch a video on MSNBC about Afghan Scouts.