The Afghanistan Children's Peace Project
By Mary-Jo Land

It began as children's play. Now a simple storybook series, developed by Afghans and Canadians, could change the face of education in Afghanistan.

All illustrations by Yar Taraky, assisted by L. Gafoori. Used by permission of the Afghanistan Children's Peace Project, McMaster University.

It became unbearable in 1999. Millions of children and adults in Afghanistan had fled long-standing war, famine, poverty and Taliban oppression. Two million of them had settled in refugee camps in Pakistan, where basic services were very limited, education opportunities scant and war trauma healing facilities non-existent.

As they learned of the plight of these Afghans, and particularly of the children now left homeless, a group of colleagues at the Centre for Peace Studies, based at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, decided to make what difference they could in the lives of traumatized Afghan children.

Led by the Centre's Dr. Seddiq Weera, an Afghan-Canadian, the team began an extensive process of consultation and creativity, trying to discern where they could be most effective. Their basic question: what can be done to help these children heal? They knew the challenge ahead of them: Afghans had been through many years of war and hardship, had experienced many losses, had few resources, and were often depressed and traumatized.

The end result: The Journey of Peace, a children's storybook series, beautifully illustrated and accompanied by engaging hand puppets.

As the first pilot field study began in 2001 in Peshawar, Pakistan, planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, and the fate of the Afghan people changed overnight. With the ensuing inception of the Karzai government in Kabul, the possibility of using the stories with children in Afghanistan itself became a reality. The new government accepted The Journey of Peace as part of the peace education curriculum. UNICEF-Afghanistan agreed to print 46,000 sets of stories for schools nation-wide. The Ministry of Education asked for and was provided a Teachers' Manual and teacher training to facilitate teaching the stories and using the puppets. In 2007-2008, the curriculum was rolled out across the country. Now, a children's television program is being made, in Afghanistan, based on the stories.

The Journey of Peace tells the story of an Afghan family, devastated by a landmine tragedy, trying to cope with loss and injury, anger and sadness. Jameela, a loving, intelligent child, seeks comfort and understanding from her wise grandmother, Bibi Jan. Spunky little brother Ahmed tries to get smiles from those who are sad, while Abdullah, whose grief and overwork are expressed as anger and resentment, is attracted to fight those responsible for his family's distress.

Through the course of the stories, members of the family learn to help each other, help others in their community and learn to depend, at times, on the kindness of strangers. Bibi Jan provides wisdom and stability when her family needs her help to reconcile hurts and resolve conflicts. The young widow Fatima demonstrates her courage and determination as she steps outside her role in the family to become independent through education. As aerial bombing forces the family to flee their village, they experience "Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps," and finally resettle in the city where new opportunities await. The promise of their eventual return home and the hope of building peace are fulfilled in the final chapter.

The Journey of Peace stories and puppets were written with the hope that they would:

• provide enjoyable reading and play activities for children and their families;
• provide role models for compassion, empathy, nurturing and altruism;
• facilitate empathic and compassionate relationships within families and among community members;
• teach peace skills such as reconciliation and conflict resolution;
• enhance tolerance of and appreciation for ethnic diversity;
• encourage education for girls and women;
• support the cultural and faith practices of Afghan peoples;
• teach ways to cope with loss, grief, trauma, fear and anger; and
• encourage peacebuilding at the intra-personal, interpersonal, familial and communal levels.

How do we know that the stories will do all that we think they will? We don't—not without research. At the time of this writing (July 2008), research is being conducted in schools in Kabul to assess the effectiveness of this program. Partial funding for this research was provided by Physicians for Global Survival; more funding is needed. The first phase was conducted with about 280 students and their parents before participation in The Journey of Peace curriculum in July 2007. These data are currently being analyzed. The second "post-curriculum" assessment has no funding at this time. We hope to get funding to complete the research and expand the project: training more teachers, creating more puppets using micro-loans to Afghan women, printing more books, and expanding the research to more provinces in Afghanistan.

If you would like to learn more about The Afghanistan Children's Peace Project or you would like to read The Journey of Peace stories, see the website: www.journeyofpeace.ca. All of the stories (in English) and the teachers' manual (in English, Dari and Pashto) are available for free online in PDF printable format. Donations can be made to McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1. Please specify in the memo line: The Afghanistan Children's Peace Project.

Mary-Jo Land is a Certified Child Psychotherapist and Play Therapist practicing in Ontario. She has worked for several years as part of the team creating The Journey of Peace. She lives in Ancaster, Ontario; email her at homeland@sympatico.ca.

Editor's Note: The team at the Centre for Peace Studies faced a stiff challenge: helping two generations of Afghans—today's children and their parents—develop their own capacities to rebuild a peaceful, prosperous Afghanistan. They mobilized support and creativity, and contributed significantly to building shalom in a war-torn country.

Peacebuilding is an important calling for every citizen. There are big goals, like those that culminate in nationwide curriculums and television programs. And there are small goals, like understanding the issues together with your family, friends, colleagues and leaders.

What can you contribute to development, mobilization and justice-seeking?

© 2008 Committee for Contact with the Government. All rights reserved.

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