Today, 11 October 2026, marks 25 years since the beginning of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan.
At Make A Mark Australia, we honour the service and sacrifice of those who served in Afghanistan and supported Australia’s operations across the wider region. We remember those who lost their lives, acknowledge those who continue to carry the impacts of service, and recognise the families and communities who stood beside them.
We also reflect on the efforts to help Afghan children access education – and the many people whose commitment made that work possible.
MAMA’s connection with Afghanistan includes projects in three locations: Hope House in Kabul, the Panjshir Valley, and Malilai Girls’ School in Tarin Kowt. Working with partners including Mahboba’s Promise, these initiatives supported access to books, learning resources and educational opportunities for children facing significant disadvantage.
Malilai Girls’ School holds a special place in that story. An Australian Defence Force managed works team, serving as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Uruzgan, helped build the school. Designed to accommodate 700 students, it included 23 classrooms, three laboratories and a gymnasium – an investment in opportunities for girls to learn.
On Anzac Day 2012, our Patron, the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, then Governor-General, visited the school and presented several thousand Afghan textbooks to support the students’ learning.
That contribution was a small part of a much larger collective effort. It would not have been possible without the work of the Australian Defence Force and others who helped build the school. We also acknowledge the local teachers, families and community members whose commitment gave those opportunities meaning.
During her time as Governor-General, Dame Quentin made multiple visits to Afghanistan, meeting Australian service personnel, representatives of other agencies and members of local communities.
Looking back, we do so with gratitude and humility. These memories remind us of the people who worked, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, to give children greater opportunities – and of the children and families who placed their hopes in education. While Afghanistan’s political changes have brought profound setbacks, particularly for girls’ education, they do not erase the value of the learning, care and opportunity these efforts made possible, or diminish the service and sacrifice behind them.
On this anniversary, we honour those who served and supported them, and acknowledge the contribution they made to work such as ours. Their efforts remain an important part of MAMA’s story and our belief that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and shape their own future.
