Primary and Secondary Schools
Since its establishment Oruj has undertaken projects that are driven by needs, sustainable and that could be duplicated throughout Afghanistan.
The Oruj schools model is founded on a grassroots approach starting with each school, first securing buy-in and agreement from the community and engaging local leaders in the process, including religious leaders. The model also includes Oruj’s turning over each school to the Ministry of Education when it is fully-functioning and academically sustainable. So far, Oruj has turned over two schools to the Directorate of Education in Nangarhar.
Oruj has established the following six girls primary schools:
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Noor Khel Primary: 464 girls attending first through ninth grades in Noor Khel village of Wardak province.
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Godah Primary: 282 girls attending first through sixth grades in Godah village of Wardak province
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Bibi Khadija Primary: 617 girls attending first through sixth grades in Ali Hemat village of Wardak province.
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Bibi Ayesha Primary: 622 girls attending first through sixth grades in Bahram Khail village of Wardak province.
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Fatima Zahra Primary: 422 girls attending first through tenth grades in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province.
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Trilli Primary: 1,063 girls attending first through seventh grades in Chaparhar, Nangarhar province.
The co-founder and supporters of Oruj also realize that no society is just if it promotes gender-based discrimination of any kind. Thus, Oruj values the education of boys and understands that today’s well-educated youth (girls and boys) will have a greater understanding of each other and are the bright leaders of tomorrow. Thus, in each Oruj primary school between 5 and10 percent of the new students are boys in grades 1 through 3. Oruj also has provided equal opportunities for both male and female teachers; however, due to huge demand for women teachers, Oruj has strongly encouraged females to apply in almost all positions the organization offers.