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Afghan children tell their leaders what they want

In the run up to the Afghan presidential elections on 20 August, what do the country’s children want from a newly-elected leader?

Tuesday 18 August 2009

According to the children interviewed in a film produced by Save the Children and the Guardian, they want healthcare, an education, to be warm in winter and to experience peace. “I’d establish unity amongst the people of Afghanistan,” said Ahmad, 18. “I’d send them to school in order to read and write and to become something in the future,” said Zarghoona, 16. Not unreasonable requests then, given that these are basic children’s rights. 

Many of the children interviewed pointed out the disparity between their country’s progress and that of other countries. “The fact is we got our independence at the same time as Japan,” said one teenage boy. “But they’ve moved on while we’ve stayed behind.”

These are only the second elections to be held in the country for more than 30 years. The first parliamentary and provincial elections were held in September 2005.

Did the children have any confidence in their leaders or feel that the elections would have any impact on their lives? For a child living in northen Afghanistan, Kabul must seem a million miles away. Zarghoona, 16, said: “[The politicians] keep everything secret. Only god knows if our lives are changing for better or for worse.”

“We must have a president who cares about people,” said Jameela, 8. “Not someone who fills his own pockets and lets people die on the pavement and in tents.”
“They showed an impressive understanding of politics and were certainly not naïve,” said Stuart Bamforth, who filmed the children. “Some children spoke about corruption. It’s a bit depressing that they’ve had to arrive at such a cynical impression of the world at such a young age.”

Issa Khan, who doesn’t know his age, is clearly hoping for a Robin Hood-style President. He should “give to the poor — not to the rich”, says Issa.

Find out more

Watch other Child’s Eye videos from Afghanistan and testimonies of children at the sharp end of war, natural disasters and poverty from all over the world.