In 1978 it was banned by the Communists, who wanted to set up their own youth organizations. It stayed banned during the civil war and the Taliban regime. In 2003 it was started up again with the help of international donors, and now it is sponsored by the ministry of education. Afghan Scouts perform a variety of public services, from cleaning mosques to assisting firefighters.Abdul and Noorina are very proud of what they are accomplishing in their Scout troop.Abdul — Everyone in this Scout troop has lost at least one parent. We have come from many different provinces — Laghman, Kandahar, Daikundi, Lowgar, Badakhshan — all over. We live in a special place called Maristoon on the edge of Kabul.Maristoon means community in Dari. The people who live here all have some special struggles. They are orphans or they are disabled, and everyone is very poor. But even with all that, we can do many things.My own father is dead. My mother is blind. I’m not sure how she became blind. I think it was in the war.
