Education
Wings2Learn
Every child deserves an education. You can make that happen.
What is Wings2Learn?
Wings2Learn is our education programme in Afghanistan, your support could provide children in Bamyan with essential education items they need to flourish at school.
It costs just $12 to supply one child in Afghanistan with education materials for one year.
With your support, our team delivers stationery packs to children at remote schools, along with fuel supplies to keep classrooms warm through the bitterly cold winter months.
The story of Wings2Learn
Wings2Learn builds on the long-standing relationship that New Zealand has had with the Bamyan region of Afghanistan. Supported by New Zealanders with firsthand experience in the country, the initiative was founded by James Baldwin, who spent time in Bamyan Province.
What first struck me was the incredible vastness and history of this place – another thing was the heart and wiry determination of the people who lived here, with productive land scarce and temperatures reaching 40°C in summer and -20°C in winter. Being in Bamyan also reinforced to me that kids are kids, the world over. Regardless of race, religion, or politics – they all love to laugh, play, and be themselves.
James Baldwin
The programme grew from our successful 2022 pilot project Rise2Play, which brought sporting equipment to schools in Bamyan. As the economic crisis in Afghanistan worsened, teachers told us their students couldn’t afford basic stationery, and that classrooms were going unheated in winter.
Wings2Learn was created to meet these urgent needs.
Now, our team delivers complete stationery packs with notebooks, pencils, erasers, and sharpeners to every student – along with games equipment to encourage play, and fuel to heat classrooms so children can learn in comfort during the harsh winter.
One Wings2Learn student told us:
“Uneducated people are like blind people. Education helps us to have a vision for our future.”
Another shared,
“My father couldn’t buy me all of these materials before. I had one pencil and one notebook. Now, I have plenty of them.”
Our local team works directly with schools to understand their needs. This personalised approach allows us to provide the right resources and return to offer further assistance as required. By building long-term relationships with these communities, we ensure our support is meaningful and lasting.
If you are an education provider or community group, you can sponsor a delivery or learn more by contacting ReliefAid’s Education Manager, Bernadette Stockman, at education@reliefaid.org.nz.
