Education Afghanistan Project #72524

Imagining Tomorrow: Afghan Girls' Education

by Charmaghz (Freshta Foundation Inc)

Project Report | Oct 6, 2026
Meet our programs, now reaching 24+ provinces

By Pranita Poudyal | Senior Officer, Social Media & Communications

Student studying through our Fara program

Dear Friends of Charmaghz,

We have special news to share: as of September, all four of our 2026 programs are officially up and running, with students actively learning in every one. We're on track to reach more than 450 Afghan girls and young women by the end of this year.

One year ago, we had just closed the Mobile Libraries we ran in Kabul for eight years, and our next chapter felt distant and uncertain. Over many months, with the support of donors like you, the wider community, and the dedication of our team, we redesigned our work to keep Afghan girls learning. Thank you for making all of this possible. Here are a few updates from us:

A new chapter

As we've built these programs, one thing has become clear: the need for girls' education in Afghanistan is immense, and every girl who comes to us is at a different point in her learning journey. That's why we designed four distinct programs, each meeting girls where they are. Some of you heard about them in our last update. Now, for the first time, we're excited to introduce all four by name:

Parkhan (Online Book Clubs): Nurturing the joy of reading, critical thinking, creative writing, and well-being through weekly book clubs guided by female Afghan facilitators.
Fara (English Program): Building critical English language skills for education and employment through a six-month program that combines self-paced learning with twice-weekly live classes led by volunteer teachers.
Rasta (Secondary School): Structured academic studies to prepare girls for university, online or abroad, with remedial classes to help students catch up on what they've missed.
Barna (Entrepreneurship Training): Knowledge and skills for women starting or growing their own businesses, building toward economic independence.

Your impact so far

Since our programs launched, we have received thousands of applications and enrolled more students than we originally planned to meet that demand. Thanks to you, our programs now reach girls in more than 24 provinces across Afghanistan.

Behind every number is a girl, and often a whole family, whose world has grown because of your support. One student in a rural province told our team how she and her two sisters gather around a single phone to join their English class, listening even when the connection breaks. She thanked us for "bringing light into their home." Today, we're passing that thanks on to you, because that light is yours too.

Looking ahead

More than four years have passed since Afghan girls were banned from secondary school, and a growing list of decrees continues to restrict women's access to education, work, and public life. Even so, Afghan girls keep finding ways to learn, and interest in our programs continues to grow.

To reach more girls in 2027, we will soon launch our End of Year Campaign. Throughout our transition, you stood with Afghan girls again and again, and we hope you will join us once more.

We could not have built any of this without you. Thank you for standing with us as we defend girls' education in one of the most challenging contexts on earth.

Forever Grateful,
Charmaghz Team

Fara program coordinator working

Student studying through our Parkhan program

Program reach across Afghanistan as of Sept 2026

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Jun 10, 2026
Updates from Charmaghz: What We've Built Together

By Pranita Poudyal | Social Media and Communications Officer

Parkhan

Dear Friends of Charmghz,

When we last wrote to you, we shared a hope: that even in one of the hardest places in the world to be a girl, we could build something steady. We envisioned a space where Afghan girls shut out of school could keep learning, reading, and imagining a future for themselves. Over the past three months, with your support behind us, that hope has taken concrete shape. We want to share an update on what has been happening and what is coming in the months ahead.

In Afghanistan today, a girl has been shut out of the classroom, the library, the park, and nearly every room where ideas are exchanged. What is taken from her is not only her schooling but her community: the simple experience of sitting among others her own age and having her thoughts treated as worth hearing.

Our Parkhan program exists to give that connection back to them. Each week, girls who are no longer allowed through a school's doors gather instead in a quiet online room, led by an Afghan woman, to read and discuss not only books but their dreams for the future.

Thanks to your support, Parkhan is now running, and it has been a joy to watch it come to life. We have welcomed our first cohort of 115 girls from 15 provinces across Afghanistan into these book clubs. Each group is guided by one of seven facilitators, who are all Afghan women educators leading and mentoring at a moment when their own opportunities have narrowed so sharply.

Every month, a new book reaches each girl’s doorstep, and the club reads it together. Stories like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Around the World in 80 Days give them both the joy of reading and the room to be heard. Together, the girls are building not only their critical thinking skills but their confidence and curiosity. In the second half of the program, they will begin to write and tell their own stories. We cannot wait to share the writing and the ideas we know these girls will create. None of this would have been possible without you.

Building on the incredible foundation and community of Parkhan, we have now opened applications for our next major step: an Online Secondary School, which is set to launch this July.

We are now preparing to welcome our first students, many of whom have spent the past few years watching the doors to traditional secondary schools stay shut, unsure whether their education would ever continue. To open a classroom for them now, even an online one, is to say that it can, proving that their learning did not end when the gates closed, and that there is still a future ahead worth preparing for.

These two programs are just the beginning. Over the course of 2026, we plan to expand our programs by launching Entrepreneurship training and English classes alongside Parkhan and our secondary school, ultimately reaching a total of 455 girls.

We would not have been able to dream or do any of this without your support. We are deeply grateful to have you with us, and we thank you all for standing by us as we defend girls’ education in the most challenging context on earth.

With warmth and thanks,

The Charmaghz Team

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Feb 10, 2026
Creating Pathways for Afghan Girls

By Freshta Karim | Founder

Dear Friends of Charmaghz,

A lot feels uncertain in the world right now, and wherever you are, I hope you are finding enough solid ground to keep moving through this moment. I want to begin by thanking you for supporting Charmaghz and for standing alongside Afghan girls as we imagine a new tomorrow for girls’ education in Afghanistan.

Your belief in our work has meant so much to our team. Over the past several months, as we have carefully designed the next chapter of Charmaghz, your trust has been a constant source of motivation. It has pushed us to think deeply and responsibly about how we can continue creating meaningful, lasting opportunities for Afghan girls in an increasingly complex and restrictive environment.

Because of your support, we are now ready to launch a new phase of programming. This work is rooted in careful research, consultation with Afghan girls themselves, and our years of experience delivering education in challenging contexts. Every step forward we are taking is possible because you chose to stand with us.

Beginning this spring, we will pilot three new types of online programming: secondary education for girls who are currently excluded from formal schooling; preparation for entrepreneurship and employment, designed to support girls seeking economic independence; and English classes to strengthen language skills needed for future education and work opportunities. Across all of these programs, participants will also receive personalized, long-term mentorship, ensuring that each girl has a real human being accompanying her at every stage of her educational journey.

Alongside this, we are also excited to continue Parkhan, our online book club program, which we successfully piloted last year. The name Parkhan combines two Persian words meaning fly and read, a reminder that learning has always been, and will always be, a form of freedom. We are now launching the next cohort of Parkhan, expanding the program and welcoming more girls into safe, structured learning spaces. We are also hiring additional mentors and facilitators, creating opportunities not only for girls to learn and connect, but also to support Afghan women educators during this crucial time. In 2026, Parkhan aims to reach approximately 400 Afghan girls across multiple cohorts. Thanks to you, this work is possible.

We will continue to share updates as these programs unfold. For now, please know that your belief in this work matters deeply. On behalf of our entire team, I want to thank you again for your support, which is making a lasting difference in the lives of Afghan girls.

Warm Regards,
Freshta

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