A crisis in Afghanistan
In August 2021, we suspended our programs in Afghanistan for the first time since 2009, when we first opened the doors of our Skate School in Kabul. For over a decade, thousands of children in Afghanistan had found a safe space at Skateistan, where they could play, learn and dream. Now our future in Afghanistan is uncertain. Many of our staff have fled the country, but we’re determined that we’ll keep supporting the children of Afghanistan in any way that we can. We hope to restart programs there soon, but for now, that chapter of our story remains unwritten.
A New Chapter
The crisis in Afghanistan and the suspension of our programs forced us to rethink our model. We want to be able to reach as many children as we can, and we know there is a need for our programs all over the world. So now we’re embarking on a new chapter. This new chapter will see us expand rapidly, to 20 locations by the end of 2022. We aim to reach 4,500 students each week by the end of next year. We’ll do this by working in partnership with other organizations, by experimenting with different types of programming and always striving to reach children who are often forgotten and left behind.
We’ve already begun!
It sounds ambitious, but we’ve never been scared of a challenge. And the great news is, we’ve already begun! In just the last few months, we have already started working in Jordan, Bolivia, Atlantis (Western Cape, South Africa) and Kenya, in addition to our long-standing Skate Schools in Cambodia and Johannesburg.
In Jordan, Bolivia and Kenya we have three amazing new partners, who are now running Skateistan programs (7Hills Skatepark, Ayni Skate Project and Project Elimu respectively). This new model of working together with other organizations means we can expand our programs faster, while benefiting from the expertise and experience of these incredible organizations. Check them out!
In Atlantis, we are running programs in public schools as an expansion of our South Africa Skate School. It’s amazing to see so many children enjoying a completely new activity.
How can you help?
There are lots of ways that you can help Skateistan to write the next chapter of our story.
You can support ‘A New Chapter’ right now!
You can also share our campaign with your friends and family through social media.
Why not host your own fundraiser? It’s super easy to ‘add fundraiser’ on Instagram and Facebook. Contact us if you’d like help to get started!
And lastly, watch this space! We will keep bringing you updates on the campaign and the exciting developments at our new expansion locations. And when we have news from Afghanistan, we’ll be sure to share it here.
