Window to the World: Afghanistan

Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies.  Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.

After decades of war, Afghanistan is rebuilding its economy, which is mostly agricultural, and has successfully held elections. A 2004 vote gave the country its first democratically elected president, Hamid Karzai. The government, however, still faces problems with the Taliban and internal security and public services. Afghanistan is the world's largest supplier of opium, and the drug industry continues to make up a substantial part of Afghanistan's econom.

Every Culture- Afghanistan

Afghanistan has become a better place for women

Women's rights in Afghanistan: The turbulent fight for equality 

Fifteen years ago, 164 governments agreed to work on improving education – setting six education goals to be achieved by this year. Back then Afghanistan was considered the worst place in the world to get an education, but much has happened since.Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse reports from Kabul.

Millions of girls have entered school in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. However, education reformers still face an uphill battle. There were at least 185 documented attacks on schools and hospitals in Afghanistan last year, according to the United Nations. The majority were attributed to armed groups opposed to girls' education.

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi has dedicated her career to the education of Afghan girls. She runs the Afghan Institute of Learning, a grassroots organization that works to empower women and communities to find ways to bring education and health services to girls, women, and other poor and disenfranchised Afghans.

Dr. Yacoobi believes that if properly equipped with the knowledge and confidence to act, the current generation of Afghan girls can fix the country's severe gender imbalances within the next 5 to 10 years.

Afghanistan is Australia’s fourth largest bilateral aid program for 2015‐16. We have provided more than $1.1 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Afghanistan since 2001. While important gains have been achieved, three decades of war have meant that Afghanistan faces ongoing development, security and financial challenges. It remains one of the most difficult environments in which we deliver aid.

All you need to know about Afghanistan

Landlocked and mountainous, Afghanistan has suffered from such chronic instability and conflict during its modern history that its economy and infrastructure are in ruins, and many of its people are refugees.

Google Earths a geobrowser that accesses satellite and aerial imagery, ocean bathymetry, and other geographic data over the internet to represent the Earth as a three-dimensional globe.

Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 22-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan. She celebrates the power of a family's decision to believe in their daughters — and tells the story of one brave father who stood up to local threats.