Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

IOC aims to empower and enable the orphans and economically disadvantaged children of Afghanistan by providing the orphans of Afghanistan with HOPE (Help the Orphans be Productive and Educated) for a better tomorrow.

Educating orphans and socio-economically disadvantaged children has been IOC’s most effective strategy in enabling children to make a better life for themselves and their family.

IOC is bucking the odds by giving opportunities for disadvantaged boys and girls to study in a classroom with modern computers, books, and desks with safety and security.

Through vocational training, the children learn to be independent and confident, which encourages them to be contributing members of society. They also learn entrepreneurship as some enter the workforce after graduation as proficient tradesmen and tradeswomen. Math. English. and computer skills are Invaluable classes that help the students find better paying jobs, like a school teacher. English is the language of business, thus proficiency in English qualifies graduates for better opportunities, such as working for international NGOs. Through employment these disadvantaged children  break the status quo and Increase influence and social power In Afghanistan.

IOC has operated Jalalabad Orphan Center since 1993. In 2005, IOC built the Mir Mohammad Yousuf School in Jalalabad, which it is constantly expanding and improving, to accommodate over 300 female and male students.  IOC typically has a staff of 20 to 25, including 15 to 20 teachers who are highly qualified and come to IOC on the recommendation of local and national government education and welfare agencies, as well locally experienced and established NGOs. IOC has an all-volunteer unpaid Board of Directors primarily based in the United States, who provide oversight, guidance and raise funds to support the Jalalabad School.

IOC uses measures of success to assess the effectiveness of its programs and staff within the prevailing constraints and limitations of the local society. Success can be measured by the graduation rate of the students and their ability join the work force or extend their education beyond high school. IOC, over the course of its existence, has graduated over a thousand female and male students from its schools.

150 Completion Certificates were awarded in 2015. Girls received 46 Completion Certificates: 9 for computer, 17 for English, 9 for math and 11 for tailoring. The girls in the tailoring class also received a sewing machine and sewing tools.

In Afghanistan, it is very challenging to track the students after graduation because the graduates tend to go wherever there is opportunity, which is quite often away from Jalalabad. Anecdotally, some IOC graduates do keep in touch via email, social media, etc., and all are gainfully employed or pursuing further education. IOC maintains video documented interviews of after every school year graduates. Their stories of their life-changing experience at IOC are the ultimate measures of success.

IOC is constantly updating its curriculum under the guidance of the local and national education and social welfare agencies. However, IOC incrementally expands enrollment and offers more classes but not to the extent of its vision primarily because of the need for additional financial support. Currently, classes are offered in the morning but not in the afternoon. IOC strives to expand classes to the afternoon.

Nourishment has been an important benefit to the children, which IOC had provided in the past. For many of the children, it was their only meal of the day. However, because of financial limitations, IOC temporarily suspended lunch at the school. It is a short-term goal of IOC to reinstate the lunch program.

Routine maintenance of the Mir Mohammad Yousuf School has kept it in excellent condition and provides for an environment conducive to learning. However, in 2015, an earthquake caused some minor, but not structural, damage and posed no hazard to students and staff. Repairs were made so that students and staff are not endangered. IOC seeks to raise the funds to fully repair and seismically retrofit all of the school structures.

100% of donations go directly to IOC’s programs. Like all nonprofit organizations, IOC has overhead expenses, typically less than 15% of annual gross revenues but which are all expended in the US and paid for by IOC’s Board of Directors.