Create New Women's Schools in Kabul

Hello dear friends, 

All of us here at AAE hope you and your communities are keeping safe, wherever you are. Schools around the world are closed because of the pandemic and AAE schools are no exception. Afghanistan does not have the infrastructure to support e-learning, so education for many students is simply on pause until this virus passes.

As such, this project to open new schools is also paused. All this global uncertainty presents a challenge when planning, but we are committed to the education of women and girls in Afghanistan, and are hopeful for the future. 

Our team has been busy responding to the needs of our particularly vulnerable students, including some who are widowed, single mothers. Their work at tailoring shops or schools has stopped and they have no income. We have been distributing packages of food and cash to support them while the city is essentially closed.

It is not easy working in Afghanistan, and COVID-19 adds an extra layer of difficulty. Please keep safe and well, and we will do our very best to do the same. 

Dear friends, 

Happy New Year! We hope that you and your families have had a restful holiday season and peaceful 2020 so far. We certainly felt the love from you - our global community of supporters came together to raise nearly $11,000 to sponsor students' education and invest in new schools. We are so incredibly grateful!

You may know that Afghanistan held presidential elections on September 28, 2019, two weeks after President Trump froze the peace talks. Even though it has been four months since the elections, a winner has not been officially declared. The election had a very low voter turnout, many protests, and allegations of fraud, and the Independent Election Commission has a lot to work through. 

Partnership with the government and Ministry of Education is very important to the success of Aid Afghanistan for Education's schools, especially when it comes to opening a new school, and so we will continue waiting for the election results before moving forward with this project. It's very important to be patient when working in Afghanistan!

I do want to share with you the story of Khatera, a successful AAE graduate. She says:

"I was a refugee in Pakistan and when I returned to Afghanistan, the only option for me were simple literacy classes, which didn't provide general education. I kept looking around until I found Aid Afghanistan for Education. I was admitted at 4th grade at the age of 18, and after graduation, I attended pedagogy. After graduation, I found a job to teach, which allows me to provide for my family.  Establishing schools like Aid Afghanistan for Education is very important for people like me."

Our team is hopeful and confident that new schools, once we're able to move forward, will benefit hundreds of students like Khatera. Thank you so much for your generosity, patience, and warm wishes!