Three decades of war have destroyed Afghanistan's civil infrastructure and left the country's education system in ruins. The consequences of this ongoing conflict run deep, with over 11 million Afghan youth over the age of 15 estimated to be illiterate.

Since 2002, more than 3500 schools have been built in Afghanistan and in 2007, the Afghan Ministry of Education announced than 6.2 million Afghan children had returned to the classroom. This figure represents approximately half of the country's school-aged children. Never in Afghanistan have the rates of school attendance been so high, and now more than ever, the demand for education by Afghan families is on the rise.

Faced with this surge, Afghanistan's educational resources fall short. Despite the recent increase in enrollment, the country still has some of the lowest education indicators in the world. Most significant is the disparity between the sexes: the highest rates of illiteracy are found among women and girls.

Afghanistan is a nation undergoing reconstruction, with its education system furthermore weakened by a deteriorating security context. Repeated attacks against schools, coupled with the country's overall lack of educational resources, requires the development of new approaches to education for Afghanistan's youth, especially girls.

An estimated 50,000 children are living in the streets of Kabul. From Nest to Flight integrates the skills of two local campaigners in the domain of education, Aschiana and Aina's children's magazine, "Parvaz," with the goal of creating a multimedia training institute within Aschiana's center for Kabuli street children. The project's principle goals are:

1.) To train youth in multi-media-related professions.
2.) To create new educational tools to be diffused throughout Afghanistan.
3.) To increase access to education for those previously denied it, particularly girls.

Aschiana is an Afghan NGO whose principle objective is to improve the social, economic, cultural, physical and mental condition of Afghan children. Through a system of informal education, its principle mission is to provide street children with the basic level of knowledge required to reintegrate into the country's mainstream educational system.

"Parvaz" is the only educational and entertainment magazine for Afghan children. Launched by Aina in 2002, it is entirely produced in Afghanistan by a local team of writers, graphic designers, photographers, and translators.

The goal of the Aschiana-"Parvaz" partnership is to create an integrated activity around the publication of the children's magazine "Parvaz" that encompasses all aspects of production, from training to distribution. The project aims to not only create new issues of this indispensable tool but to establish a viable system wherein professional know-how and skills can be transmitted from one generation to the next in a hands-on learning environment. Due to the economic realities that force many Afghan children to work, From Nest to Flight will provide students with a stipend thereby allowing them to contribute to their family income throughout their studies.

Having already implemented a professional training program for Afghan youth, Aschiana is equipped to integrate From Nest to Flight for a group of boys and girls aged 14 to 18. The project will allow the students - expected to number 20 in its first year- to apply their training within the domain of magazine publishing. Once From Nest to Flight is established as a print and publishing-focused activity, training in other areas of journalism including visual media and radio, will be incorporated into the curriculum.

Aina is a non-profit organization that has worked successfully in Afghanistan for more than nine years. While a portion of the funding required to launch From Nest to Flight has been secured, Aina is still a long way off from its fund-raising goals. The project's budget represents both short-term start-up costs relating to technical and software needs (computers, printers, graphic design programs), as well as ongoing long-term expenses including editorial guidance, teacher salaries, distribution, and printing, the project's one outsourced activity. In order to launch From Nest to Flight, a project on the cusp of fruition after two years in the making, Aina is seeking the support of donors committed to the principles of democracy, education, and children's empowerment.