Kabul children skateboard toward better future

World Today

Facing ongoing conflict and bleak prospects, children in the Afghan capital of Kabul are now trying to take their future into their own hands, by skateboarding.
‘Skate-istan’ is a charity project that teaches children aged 5 to 17 to skateboard along with other educational programs. It is the country’s first co-ed skateboarding school, with a team of local and international volunteers helping to empower Afghan girls and boys.
From Kabul, our correspondent Natalie Carney filed this report.

More details:

  • Skateistan is not your conventional school. Nor is skateboarding a sport widely practiced in Afghanistan, let alone by girls, yet over 40% of the students are female.
  • The program, which works with 800 students across the country, also promotes teamwork amongst those from different ethnicities, an issue that has plagued and divided Afghan culture for decades.