The civil war which
lasted so long in Afghanistan had completely destryed the infrastrucre
of the country.
Since the Bonn Agreement in December 2001, the international community
began to assist the reconstruction of Afghanistan in various fields.
Among them is education. UNICEF among other international organizations
and NGOs helped the reconstruction in this field.
But even in the capital city Kabul, the number of street-working children
continues to rise due to the increase in the urban population as returnees
continue to flow into Kabul. Most of them do not have opportunities
to receive basic education.
In August 2002, several artists and staff from Japan visited Afghanistan
and held a concert at a school for street working children, which
was run by the Afghan NGO Aschiana.
Their encounter with Aschiana and street working children studying
there made them decide to continue to support Aschiana. Aschiana brings
educational opportunities and hope in life to many street working
children. As the artists' led initiative to support this Afghan NGO,
the Global Art Project Aschiana Foundation has been established.