By Allie Renar | Operations & Finance Manager
Dear Friends of Sahar,
Sahar continues to change the lives of Afghan girls with your support. You can read our June 2023 Newsletter for more details.
Program Updates Home-Based IT & Coding Courses
We continue to offer 3 satellite programs in the homes of local teachers. These programs serve over 100 girls who are learning computer literacy and coding skills which will serve them to further their own education or employment ambitions after completion of the course. The girls in these courses are ever grateful for the opportunity to learn thanks to your generosity.
One Student reported the impact this course has had on her mental health:
"I suffered from depression before joining this course because Afghan girls were banned from schools, courses, and universities. When I was at home, I just slept and watched TV series, which was not useful. I didn't talk to anyone about my life, and I was a recluse. That is, after school was closed, I had all the symptoms of depression. After joining this course, my mental state has improved. And I have hope for the future. I learned a lot from this course. And my interest in computers and computer programs has increased. I want to study computer science in the future.”
The Taliban Continues to Strip the Rights of Girls and Women
A May 26th article by Aljazeera recounted the struggles of women in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over.
"What is happening in Afghanistan is “a war against women” that amounts to “international crimes” that are “organized, widespread, systematic”, said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general.
Without elaborating, she called for the international community to dismantle “this system of gender oppression and persecution”.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban started to enforce restrictions on women and girls soon after their takeover, barring them from public spaces and most jobs, and banning education for girls beyond the sixth grade."
Sahar Continues to Educate Girls in Afghanistan Despite the Crackdown
Sahar is committed to partnerships with grassroots organizations on the ground, working to bring educational opportunities to girls in their communities. We believe that education, particularly for women and youth, is the key to bringing about fundamental change in a country. None of this would be possible without our dedicated local partners, who are highly motivated to effect change and educate women regardless of personal risk.
Underground IT & Coding Courses
These courses are between 3 and 6 months in length and are provided for groups of girls and women aged 14-25 years in the region of Balkh, Afghanistan. More than 100 girls participate in group study with class sizes between 10 and 20 girls in each location. This opportunity is a lifeline for many girls, giving them hope for a brighter future.
The girls in these courses have been learning computer basics, MS Office, and website building along with our integrated Women's Empowerment curriculum. Once progressing from the IT course, students learn front and backend web design. Programs are currently running from April to September.
July Bonus Day
This July 12th offers a great opportunity for our supporters to contribute through a matching program with GlobalGiving. All individual donations between $100 and $1000 will be matched up to 50%. Please consider sharing Sahar’s mission and work with your friends and family to increase our reach and future opportunities for the girls we serve.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
