A NEW SCHOOL IN HERAT RESTORED BY PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM OF REGIONAL COMMAND WEST

HERAT, Afghanistan (Mar. 24) – This morning, as part of activities to assist the Afghan people in education, an important new project was completed in Herat province by the Provincial Reconstruction Team of the Italian Regional Command West based Brigade "Sassari"

The event was the conclusion of the renovation work of the Charity Organization Sayedol Shohada School, a private school located in the 9th district of the city of Herat managed by the Shiite non-governmental charitable organization, which has contributed to the building through the free supply of labor

The project, worth approximately 18 thousand euro, was realized by Italian Provincial Reconstruction Team, thanks to funds provided by the Military Bishopric of Italy, represented for the occasion by the military chaplain of Regional Command West, Captain Gianmario PIGA.

The school, with all the general services, consisting of 8 classrooms and will allow to approximately 600 students of both sexes - mostly of them belonging ethnic Hazara, minority in Afghanistan and historically marginalized - the frequency of lessons

Activity was attended by Commander of Regional Command West - Brigadier General Alessandro VELTRI - Deputy Chairman of the Provincial Council, Azizullah Najaf, Principal of School and Director of the Charity Organization, Hafif Ghulam Reza, the Commander of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, Colonel Claudio DEI, and many other local authorities and elders.

Addressing the present, Vice President of Provincial Council, Azizullah Najaf, thanked the Commander of Regional Command West for restoring the school, "work that marks another important step forwarded by ISAF to reconstruction and development of the province, today sent in a district particularly needy".

As emphasized by General Veltri, "the future of a country lies in its ability to invest in the training of new generations. In this direction, the Military Bishopric of Italy and the Regional Command West today have promoted the initiative that aims to the centrality of culture and education for the development of Afghanistan. In this sense - concluded the General VELTRI - the training of young Afghans can only bring benefit to the country for which ISAF and above all the legitimate institutions of the Afghan Government will continue to direct their best efforts to ensure full and independent governance”

During the same day, the Commander of the Provincial Reconstruction Team - Colonel Claudio DEI - came in two girls' schools in the district of Zenda Jan where he made a donation (worth about 16 thousand euros) of 20 personal computers equipped with printer, scanner and LAN.