Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Dear Friends of Sahar,

It has been a trying and difficult year for the people of Afghanistan and for those of us who hoped and worked for a peaceful and more stable Afghanistan. The financial, political, and social well-being of Afghans has declined drastically since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year. Women and girls have borne the brunt of oppression and poverty. We acknowledge and commend the bravery they show in loud, continued protests and in quiet daily struggles to help their families survive. 

Inspired by the girls and women of Afghanistan, SAHAR has doubled down on our mission to educate and empower. We are immensely grateful for your support that has enabled us to fund and support three different programs for Afghan girls. We are so grateful to be able to share our program updates with you. 

English, Digital literacy and Women’s Empowerment & Health Program

"I am one of the students of the women empowerment workshop. This program is an excellent opportunity for us, especially for Afghan women living under the Taliban government. The Women Empowerment workshop is introducing new topics about our rights; the topics are awakening and essential for us to learn. It’s our responsibility to share the information and what we learn from this workshop with our family and friends. We also communicate with other women outside of this program. We learned so much from the program."   shares Nadia* one of our students from Mazar-i-Sharif. 

In partnership with a private school in Mazar-i-Sharif, our 20 program participants are learning English and computer skills and becoming more aware their rights and health. Students were recruited from public schools and have limited English and computer abilities.

Our girsl are now familiar with computer components; such as the different features of windows, creating folders, arranging icons, and storing and organizing data on computer. In MS word, they learned about the program's tabs. Students can now create tables in a word document; they can insert charts, pictures, shapes, header, footer, and more. Students are also able to create their Word documents and set up the printer to print them out. Students are now learning Excel sheets and running formulas on Excel.

Sewing, Literacy and Women’s Empowerment & Health program

In partnership with Afghanistan Relief Organization in Kabul, our 20 students are learning and practicing literacy and sewing skills along with topics related to women’s empowerment, mental health, reproductive health and menstrual hygiene. SAHAR provides Afghanistan Relief Organization, with the curriculum for women’s empowerment and health workshops, training on delivering the material, project management support and funding for the program. 

Our students have improved their reading and writing skills since the workshop started. Students can now read the text from their Dari book fluently and write dictation. Students' math skills have improved as well. They are now learning to multiply and divide numbers.

Last quarter, our Women empowerment & health workshop focused on menstrual hygiene and pregnancy. Talking about menstruation remains one of the social taboos in Afghanistan's traditional society leading to misinformation about periods. Women and girls believe in myths regarding periods, for example, not taking frequent showers during periods. This workshop focused on addressing the misconceptions and  encouraged women to educate their daughters and sisters on this topic. Similarly, students got to learn about pregnancy, complications of pregnancy, pregnancy precautions, medical care during pregnancy and miscarriage. 

Mobile Schools

Our two mobile schools provide basic literacy skills for around 500 nomadic boys and girls who have not had the opportunity to get an education prior to this effort. The nomadic families move from one village to another throughout the year and the mobile schools travel with them, assuring that the students have access to education. Sahar is supporting this program by funding the curriculum and school operations. We also provide program management and oversight support for the mobile schools. 

As the school year comes to an end, our moblile school students are finishing up their final exams. We are happy to see our students promote to the next grade and we plan to continue the program on the management side.

It has been rewarding to watch our girls  improve their self-confidence and become aware of their rights. SAHAR has provided opportunities for students to express their needs and learn how to help themselves and other women in their community. We COULD NOT have done this without you. Thank YOU for making a difference in the lives of Afghans girls today!

* The student's name was changed to protect her identity.

Dear Friend of Sahar, 

Thank you for standing with Afghan girls and women through your support for SAHAR! Because of your generosity, Afghan girls have a chance at education through alternative programs while Taliban’s ban on girls’ secondary education prevents them from formal schooling. With your support for SAHAR, you enable us to partner with grassroots organizations to design and support educational programs like our mobile schools in Afghanistan.

Aziza* one of our mobile school students shares: “My name is Aziza*. We are nomads, and we have never had a school to go to, there are no schools built for us. This is the first time that a team has established a school  for us and we are grateful for this opportunity. I want to study and become a doctor in the future so that I can serve my people.”

Women’s lives are highly restricted under the Taliban rule. Almost a year after the Taliban's takeover,  80% of secondary school girls are out of school as a result of the ban on girls’ education. Regardless of the ongoing demands, the Taliban continue to deny girls the right to education.

Our two mobile schools provide basic literacy skills for around 500 nomadic boys and girls who have not had the opportunity to get an education prior to this effort. The nomadic families move from one village to another throughout the year and the mobile schools travel with them, assuring that the students have access to education. Sahar is supporting this program by funding the curriculum and school operations. We also provide program management and oversight support for the mobile schools.

Plus, your support goes even further than the mobile schools and supports more amazing Sahar projects! Thanks to you: 

• 20 girls were recently enrolled in a literacy and sewing program in Kabul. Participants also get to learn about women’s empowerment and women’s health through different workshops that are developed by Sahar. 
• 20 girls in Mazar were recently enrolled in computers and English language classes. Students also participate in women’s empowerment and women’s health workshops. 

We couldn’t do it without you. Thank YOU for making a difference in the lives of Afghans girls today!

*Name was changed due to confidentiality reasons.

Over the past 20 years, Sahar has worked to build, repair, and supply the needs of 25 girls’ schools in Balkh province of Afghanistan while also training teachers and improving the curriculum. In communities where the literacy rate for women continues to be low, Sahar has run programs that focus on literacy and vocational training.

After the Taliban’s takeover of the country, Sahar had to make the difficult choice of putting the programs on hold. We have started to resume our programs carefully and strategically by partnering with grassroot organizations in Afghanistan. Currently, Sahar is working collaboratively with these organizations and equipping them with evidence-informed curricula, project management, training, and support to help advance their efforts across the country. Sahar is also aware of the risks that are associated with any United States-based organizations working in Afghanistan (and their grassroots partners). Therefore, Sahar is trying to adapt alternative ways of implementing the programs and mitigate the risks.

We are currently supporting the operations of two mobile schools that serve nearly 500 children who are members of a nomadic tribe who have not had access to education prior to this effort.  Founded by a remarkable young Afghan woman, these schools are teaching basic literacy skills to girls and boys of all ages. Additionally, we are currently finalizing partnerships with two other Afghan-led organizations in central and eastern Afghanistan to support girls’ schooling and provide women with vocational training. We also plan to resume our previous programs by collaborating with our partners.

The ban on girls’ schools in Afghanistan should not stop organizations and individuals from supporting and promoting girls’ education. Thank you for helping Sahar provide access to education for girls and women in Afghanistan. 

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your on-going support of Sahar Education. Your generous contributions are especially important as we juggle the challenges brought on by the current crisis in Afghanistan. 

Since the Taliban takeover and due to the recent increase in security concerns across Afghanistan, we have made the difficult decision to halt program operations and the construction of our boarding school indefinitely. We have continued to support our Afghan staff during this time. The safety of our staff is our priority. 

As members of our community, donors, and champions of girls’ education, we ask you to join us and continue your commitment to Sahar during these challenging times. With support like yours, over 250,000 girls have attended our schools and programs over 20 years. Even in difficult times, the power that comes from educating a girl is not erased. We remain in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, especially the girls and women. Sahar believes in the future of Afghanistan and its people and we must support them now in every way possible. 

We are actively developing plans to resume operations adjusting to the new reality, including assessing the feasibility of working on projects with partners in Afghanistan, prioritizing local organizations and grassroot initiatives. We plan to continue our work in country when it is safe and permissible; now our urgent need is to reimagine what that looks like.

We are incredibly grateful to have you on this journey with us. 

Gratefully, 

Malahat Mazaher

Executive Director, Sahar

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your on-going support of Sahar Education. Your generous contributions are especially important as we continue to work with Afghan staff to respond to the on-going challenges. Due to security concerns, our programs are closed for the time being. 

Sahar believes in the future of Afghanistan and its people and we must support them now in every way possible. We have taken down our social media accounts to protect the women and girls we have served. 

As members of our community, donors, and champions of girls’ education, we ask you to join us and continue your commitment to Sahar  during these challenging times. With support like yours, over 250,000 girls have attended our schools and programs over 20 years. Every day we showed our belief in them and their futures. Even in difficult times, the power that comes from educating a girl is not erased. They will have daughters and sons who will hear their lessons and learn from their experiences. We remain in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, especially the girls and women. 

Thank you for standing with us in support of Afghanistan and girls education.

We are incredibly grateful to have you on this journey with us.

Gratefully, 

Malahat