USAID Tours Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) in support of $3M Grant Awarded for its Expansion

VIENNA, VA – November 10, 2008 – United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (www.usaid.gov) representatives today visited the Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) (www.atvi.edu.af) in Kabul as part of the $3M grant awarded for the expansion of the institute. This grant was awarded through USAID's Capacity Development Program (CDP) in support of the school's pursuit of academic excellence and educational opportunities for the citizens of Afghanistan.

Mr. Flynn Fuller, USAID's acting Deputy Director of the region, and his delegation began the visit with a tour of the classrooms and facilities where he chatted with the students. Following a luncheon with faculty, students, and staff, the delegation met with Mr. Sardar Roshan, Afghanistan Business Development Director for ANHAM, LLC (www.anham.com) and former director of ATVI, and Dr. Najib Omary, Executive Director of ATVI, where they discussed plans for acquiring accreditation and opening satellite campuses in addition to the one currently under construction in Laghman province.

"The executive visits by USAID and other VIPs from various international organizations bring more support to our educational goals in Afghanistan," stated Mr. A. Huda Farouki, CEO of ANHAM, LLC.

ATVI, Afghanistan's first post-war co-educational vocational school, was developed through a collaborative effort between ANHAM, LLC, Knowlogy International (www.knowlogy-intl.com), an ANHAM affiliate, and the Afghan Government and Ministry of Education.

"We intend to continue our growth through diversifying our teachers' training packages and establishing programs of basic and advanced skills development throughout the country," said Mr. Farouki.

For the 2008/2009 academic year, the School is providing training for more than eight hundred male and female students from Kabul and other urban and rural regions in Afghanistan.

About ATVI

ATVI (www.atvi.edu.af) is a co-educational facility in Kabul, Afghanistan, where students are competitively selected through an examination process for the one-year condensed course. ATVI provides training for male and female students, drawn from Kabul, other major cities, and the rural areas. As a co-educational institution designed to support and educate all potentially productive members of Afghan society, ATVI strives to maintain a minimum threshold of 10% female enrollment. Courses are offered in our key training sectors: Automotive Systems Technology, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Building and Construction Trades, and Horticulture. ATVI faculty and staff are highly qualified; all hold international educations, degrees, and certifications. More than half of the faculty members hold a Master's degree or higher.

In order to build a self-sufficient, income generating institute, ATVI incorporates profit centers as a major component of its operations. These profit centers benefit the Institute, the local community, and the student as they provide the hands-on experience needed to compound and complement the education provided in the classroom. Designed to be mutually beneficial, the profit centers offer students the opportunity to experience and train for their chosen career in a real-life environment, the local community purchasing the service is charged a competitive and affordable fee, and the provided revenue is used to maintain scholarship programs and facility upkeep.

About ANHAM, LLC

ANHAM, LLC (www.anham.com) is a leading contracting firm working throughout the Middle East and North Africa ("MENA"), Central Asia, and Europe. With a century's worth of experience between its principal founding companies, ANHAM is able to efficiently, effectively, and affordably deliver products and services throughout the world. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, ANHAM has international offices that specialize in providing local support and services to its initiatives, projects, and investments across diverse regions of the globe.

About Knowlogy International

Knowlogy International (KI) (www.knowlogy-intl.com) is the leading provider of training and development programs and related services worldwide. Since its inception in 1995, KI has been creating and supplying training solutions to governments, businesses, organizations, and educational facilities on a global scale.