KABUL (SW) – Many young people in Afghanistan have expressed concerns over the decline of youth support programs, capacity-building initiatives, and educational opportunities.
According to interviews conducted with 30 young individuals, including 15 girls and 15 boys, 28 have stated that they no longer benefit from any support, as numerous organizations have either reduced their activities or ceased to operate altogether.
Ahmad Basit, a resident of Balkh and a law graduate, says he has not benefited from any support programs since the collapse of the republic. He adds, “After the regime change, I did not hear about or participate in any educational programs meant for the youths. Some organizations halted their activities, which greatly impacted educational programs.”
Ahmad Zubair, 22, from Badakhshan province, who has not participated in any youth support programs, complains about the decrease in such initiatives. “Educational programs have decreased compared to the Republic era. With the rise of the Islamic Emirate, many people who worked in this field left the country.”
Shahnaz, 26, from Kabul, believes the de-facto government should organize more support programs for the young people. “Youths need support programs more than during the Republic era. A large number of youths are unemployed; school and university students are staying at home. Support programs need to be increased.”
Lida, 28, from Ghazni, agrees, saying, “Whether through the government or organizations, youths should be given opportunities to grow.”
The young people interviewed in this report say that the lack of support and effective programs is pushing many youths to migrate to neighboring countries.
Ahmad Milad, a resident of Parwan, shares, “Youths have migrated to countries like Iran, Turkey, Germany, and other European countries in search of jobs, facing numerous hardships and risks. This situation is due to the lack of support programs.”
Shakila, from Kabul, also mentions that many young people are seeking scholarships abroad to continue their education and find better job opportunities.
Among the 30 interviewees, only two mentioned participating in support and educational programs offered by the de-facto government and private organizations.
Mohammad Anis, 25, from Parwan and a graduate of the Faculty of Engineering, says he has participated in several support programs over the past three years. “Programs like English language courses, mathematics, computer skills, and a month-long first aid training were offered by the Ministry of Information and Culture, and I participated in them.”
Susan Noori, 25, from Herat, who holds a bachelor’s degree in language and literature, says, “I attended several seminars and received recognized certificates. However, organizations working on youths capacity-building have significantly decreased, as many have closed after the regime change.”
While the interviewees express dissatisfaction with the lack of support programs, some youth support organizations continue to offer such services, though some others have reduced their activities.
Organizations like the Afghanistan Youth Axis Solidarity, Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization (AELSO), Kabul University Psychological Counseling Center, and Mediothek Organization are among the groups that still provide support programs for youths.
Hanif Farzam, head of the AELSO, says, “We organized seminars, conferences, and practical sessions focusing on human values in Kabul and provinces. We also provided youths with support in entrepreneurship in three areas.”
Zamanuddin Hakimi, founder of the Afghanistan Youth Axis Solidarity, shares, “We held online and in-person scientific seminars, published articles by writers, poets, and active youths, and even created an online school for girls with 1,200 participants. These are some of the achievements of our organization.”
Shafiqullah Ansar, a psychologist at Kabul University Psychological Counseling Center, which has been active in providing counseling for two years, says, “We focus on improving the resilience and academic growth of students. Our programs are offered both in the spring and fall semesters and include individual and group sessions, capacity-building programs, and motivational seminars.”
The Afghanistan Youth Axis Solidarity hub, AELSO, and Kabul University Psychological Counseling Center have reported assisting 11,200 young individuals across various sectors in the last two years.
Ahmad Wali Ahmadi, head of the Mediothek Organization in Afghanistan, highlights that his organization has been providing humanitarian aid, internships, and financial support for youths in education and business for 30 years.
Lal Mohammad Hadid, head of the Civil Society Think Tank Coalition, shares that after the collapse of the republic, their activities in offering support programs have either decreased or stopped. “In areas like public speaking and scholarships, we raised our voices to ensure youths’ rights were accessible. Now, our activities are extremely limited, and we’re not allowed to continue.”
Mohammad Ramin Shafi’zada, founder of the Afghanistan Enlightened Youth Civil and Social Organization, states, “We used to sign memorandums of understanding with various universities to introduce youths with low economic capacity, and we held free courses on public speaking and management. After six months of the regime change, our activities were halted.”
Despite these challenges, Samiullah Ebrahimi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, report that the ministry provided vocational and technical job opportunities to 74,000 people, especially youths, last year.
“Currently, about a thousand youths are engaged in professional training at the ministry’s vocational centers, and our efforts are aimed at providing job opportunities, whether in the private or public sector,” he emphasized.
Khobaib Ghofran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture under the de-facto government, says that the Youth Department has organized various programs for young people’s growth and development, which thousands of young individuals have benefited from. “We are still working on initiatives that encourage youths toward employment opportunities.”
According to a survey conducted by the National Statistics and Information Authority, there are 6.5 million youths aged between 18 to 35 years in Afghanistan. Interviews with seven non-governmental organizations and the Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs, and Information and Culture, indicate that nearly 100,000 youths have been able to benefit from support and capacity-building programs in the past three years.
