Kids in Afghanistan



AFGHAN CHILDREN

Do you like sports? How about playing and running around with friends? If so, chances are you have quite a bit in common with children in Afghanistan. Afghan children like to keep active. When they aren’t in school and doing homework, they enjoy flying kites, playing soccer or running in a playground. They also like to play a variety of games, listen to music and watch television. Afghanistan is a traditional society. Children spend a lot of time with their family. Some Afghan children still have to start working at a young age to help support their families. Afghan children spend a lot of time outdoors. In particular, nomadic children often spend time outdoors tending animals. While Afghan children are hard-working, they are also very fun-loving.

A few years ago, however, life for Afghan children was very different. Under the Taliban regime, Afghan girls were not allowed to go to school. Girls also had to hide or get rid off their dolls because the Taliban opposed all images of people or animals, including photographs and posters. Boys and girls were not allowed to play together. Afghan children were also not allowed to watch television or listen to music. Luckily, times have changed and many dedicated people are working hard to improve the lives of children in Afghanistan.

FUN FACTS

• Afghans are compromised of several ethnic groups, including Hazaras, Pashtuns, Tajiks and Uzbeks, among others.

• Afghanistan is also home to various nomadic tribes that traverse the country seasonally, called “Kuchis.”

• Afghanistan is the source of most of the world's lapis lazuli, a precious blue stone found in Afghanistan and Chile.

• The national pastime of Afghanistan, Buzkashi involves two competing teams on horseback. The players are called Buzkash, who are master riders.

• Kite-fighting and kite-running are also popular sports that involve flying kites, cutting them loose with glass-coated strings, and racing to retrieving them.

• Today 6,000,000 children are going back to school – 34 percent of them are girls.

• Major agricultural products consist of fruits, such as grapes, melons and pomegranates, as well as wheat, rice, barley, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables.