Nearly 3,000 young Afghans are active Red Crescent volunteers, helping in their communities, delivering first-aid services to their school peers, teaching English, basic health and sanitation to their neighbours.

A number of these volunteers teach English to more than 200 male and female students. Many of the female students are much older than their volunteer teachers, as women and girls have been unable to attend school for several years.

"English education is very important for the future of Afghanistan," says Fawad Azimi, an 18-year-old volunteer who teaches English at an Afghan Red Crescent facility.

All of the teachers are youth volunteers, and many of them have mastered their skills in a very short period. Khesrow, who is 15 years old, learned English in only one year. "When I started going to the Red Crescent English classes my father told me that this was a great opportunity. He encouraged me to study as hard as I could, and that is what I did. Now I am an English teacher."