Dari learning programme brings help and hope to Afghans
Across Afghanistan, formal schooling is restricted or inaccessible for millions. But families and small communities are accessing literacy and learning in their homes, villages and shared spaces through SAT-7 PARS programme Sun of Hope.
“Our children do not attend school,” writes one viewer from Afghanistan. “Previously, I used to send them to local religious leaders to learn reading and writing but, unfortunately, they would sometimes beat our children.”
But through Sun of Hope, learning has begun again: this time in safety, and in community.
“In our village, we decided to start a Dari language learning class,” the same viewer explains. “We use your programmes in these lessons. During the broadcast, I gather eight children and two adults in a room, and we follow your lessons together. These programs are very useful for our children, and I want to thank you because your teaching method is really effective for them.”
Dari is the most widely spoken language of Afghanistan, where literacy levels are low and access to formal education is limited.
Children and adults
Sun of Hope has aired one season of 15 episodes to date, with two further seasons planned; Season 2 is expected to start broadcasting in early spring. Each season builds on the previous one, with numeracy being added to the second. The programme is available via satellite television, YouTube and streaming app, SAT-7 PLUS.
Already, viewers describe the program not as background television, but as a shared learning space: something watched together, discussed together and acted upon. A female viewer told us:
“Afghanistan has a large number of illiterate adults who cannot read or write, and these programmes are very helpful for them in villages and rural areas. Your literacy programmes are not only beneficial for children but also for adult women and men, who learn a lot from them. We have introduced these programmes to many people so they can learn the lessons. I am a woman myself, and I have learned many things from your programme.”
Parents, too, are learning alongside their children.
“We don’t have a proper school in our village,” one father explains. “So I’m very happy that this programme is like a school for our children. Sometimes, when I sit with them, I also learn things myself.”
Education crisis
Across the Middle East and North Africa, at least 30 million children are currently out of school, according to UNICEF, as conflict, displacement and poverty continue to disrupt education across the region.
In Afghanistan, the situation is particularly acute. Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, access to education has been increasingly restricted. Nearly 2.2 million girls are barred from attending school beyond the primary level, making Afghanistan the only country in the world with such a sweeping ban on girls’ secondary and higher education. Years on, there is still no clear pathway back to formal schooling.
For families and communities, the impact is profound. Education is not only about literacy and learning; it is about safety, structure and hope for the future.
“Before the Taliban came, I was studying English and I was planning after completing my course to prepare for my university entrance exams,” says Armineh, aged 16. “But with the current situation, I am unable to attend my courses or to continue my education as before.”
Another Afghan viewer, Arsham, writes in a prayer request: “Please pray for us. Pray that we might be saved from the Taliban who have closed schools and universities for Afghan students. Schools have been transformed into military camps and institutions.”
Through Sun of Hope, learning continues in Afghanistan: delivered in a local language, available through widely accessible platforms, and shared in community. It is not intended to replace schools. But it holds space for learning where schools should be, until they can return.