Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University Needs Financial Support
Cultural preservation is necessary to safeguard a nation’s history for present and future generations. Many pieces of Afghan culture were threatened from years of war and violence, and one establishment has taken efforts to protect Afghanistan’s history: with over 38,000 documents in their possession and 165 mobile libraries to provide educational resources to different provinces, the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU) is dedicated to maintaining and preserving Afghan culture and history.
The various documents, consisting of works in Dari, Pashto, and a number of western languages, are organized in a catalogue available online. These works include development reports written prior to the war, Mujahideen press publications, coverage on historical events, and audio and video materials. The Centre has the largest collection of local information on Afghanistan.
Nancy Hutch Dupree and her late husband, Louis Dupree originally established the Afghanistan Centre in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1989. Both leading American scholars on Afghanistan, they began collecting 
materials during the war years, recognizing their potential for historical value. Louis Dupree helped to create a resource center in Pakistan that helped preserve Afghan heritage. After 15 years, the Afghanistan Centre was transferred to Kabul University.
Previously located in a small room within Kabul University, ACKU was allocated property by the University for the construction of a permanent structure. This new building, estimated to cost $1.8 million, will house the collection and also provide services for research and outreach. The Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation for the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University has been established in an effort to raise public and private funds to finance the construction of ACKU’s own facility.
The people and government of Afghanistan have greatly admired the sincere dedication of and the many contributions of Nancy Hatch Dupree and the late Louis Dupree. The Embassy of Afghanistan strongly encourages friends of Afghanistan across the world to help preserve the country’s rich cultural heritage by making a tax-deducible donation to the Foundation.
Please send donations via check payable to
Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation
ACKU
954 Lexington Ave., #118
New York, NY 10021
