The Basic Education and Gender Equality in the South (Kandahar) Program reduces the barriers that prevent girls from going to school, and provides learning opportunities for women. The projects conceived under this program, which the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has partnered with UNICEF to provide, have the potential to improve female education.

The most important program activities are:

• Supporting education at the community level through accelerated-learning classes for out-of-school children, primarily girls.
• Constructing and equipping schools, prioritizing existing girls’ schools without buildings.
• Strengthening the Kandahar Department of Education’s ability to plan and set up the national education strategy within the province.
• Establishing 100 literacy courses for women in Kandahar province.

The Basic Education and Gender Equality in the South (Kandahar) program has achieved the following significant results to date:

• Ten schools are currently under construction.
• Over 6,000 out-of school children, especially girls were enrolled in 200 community based-based accelerated learning centres.
• 12,720 learners including 9,720 women participated in literacy training.

• UNICEF