On Saturday, children in Afghanistan will do something that most kids in America take for granted -- they are going back to school.

Because the U.S. military helped defeat the oppressive Taliban regime last fall, the people of Afghanistan have been faced with the daunting task of rebuilding their country. One of its top priorities has been to reopen the doors of the nation's schools.

Before the Taliban took control, schools in Afghanistan were open to both boys and girls. Women were given opportunities to pursue higher education and professional careers. More than 70 percent of Afghan teachers, 40 percent of physicians and 50 percent of the civil service corps were female. But under Taliban rule, women were prohibited from receiving any education. Women were forced to quit their jobs, leave school and stay in their homes. They could not even be seen in public without a male escort, and they were barred from receiving health care. They were denied basic human rights.

The effect on the nation's children was devastating. Schools were shut down, and many children were forced to spend their time on the streets.

But those days are over. Opportunity is returning to the women and children of Afghanistan. For many young Afghans, especially girls, this month will mark the first time in their lives that they have entered a classroom. More than 80 percent of Afghan children younger than 15 cannot read or write a simple sentence. For girls, that figure is 90 percent. Now they will have the chance to build a future that wouldn't have been possible without an education. The United States is leading the effort to rebuild Afghanistan, but even before the terrorist attacks of September 11, we were already the largest provider of humanitarian and economic aid to the country. The war on terrorism has brought more global attention to the plight of the Afghan people, and since the attacks, American and international aid has dramatically increased.

I was proud to introduce the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act in the Senate last year. I saw the images of devastation and oppression caused by the Taliban and knew that those women and children needed our help. The legislation was unanimously approved and was signed into law by President Bush. We wanted to ensure that aid given to Afghanistan by the United States will be made available for the health care and education of Afghan women and children.

Our commitment, coupled with the tireless efforts of relief workers on the ground, has paved the way for Afghanistan to open its schools.

The children of Afghanistan have never known peace. Their country has been embattled in conflict for 23 years. A volatile political climate, a collapsed economy and three years of severe drought have devastated the fragile nation. According to the World Health Organization, 25 percent of Afghan children will never make it to their fifth birthday. Nearly 250,000 children die from malnutrition each year, and only 23 percent of the citizens even have access to clean water. The nation is in a public health crisis, but it is beginning to recover.

As Afghanistan reopens its schools and begins the painstaking process of rebuilding the nation, it is creating a hope-filled future for an entire generation. Afghan children will finally be able to eat a healthy meal, drink clean water and go to school without the fear of gunfire on the streets.

Hutchison, R-Texas, introduced the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001 on October 25. The legislation was signed into law December 12.