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Gender Equality Afghanistan Project #6083

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

by Sahar Education

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Project Report | Aug 8, 2019
Thank You

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your generous support of Sahar Education and we hope you continue your support! Because of your support, girls in Balkh province, Northern Afghanistan, have the opportunity to reach their dreams! When you support Sahar, you ensure projects that empower and educate girls in Afghanistan continue. Here’s an update of our work:

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP) update: We currently run programs in two schools where we serve over 100 students. Sahar’s EMPP has impacted over 4,000 individuals this year– double the number (1770) since the program began in 2016! Awareness of early marriage issues has helped further community support for girls school and education by families. This has been possible because we work alongside the Afghan Ministry of Education and hold separate sessions with community leaders and parents at the end of each graduating class. As a result, the community has supported our projects ,increasing girls participation in our other programs such as coding classes, digital literacy, and teacher training centers.

“Early marriage issues were previously not part of discussions before this program. But with frequent sessions in schools and awareness of its complications through this program have spread awareness and has discouraged people from such acts in our community”... Roena (weekly journals EMPP)

Coding Program: Our Coding Program is offered at the Gawhar Khatoon school. Only top graduates of our digital literacy program are eligible to be enrolled into this prestigious and challenging program, students learn all the nuts and bolts of designing a website. Our programs are so successful that university students often come to our program students to solve their issues.

“It’s a good in fact, a golden and rare opportunity inside our school for us to boost our computer knowledge and serve our people through modern technology. Now I am able to create and design websites by myself,” Meena

Digital Literacy: The Sahar Digital literacy program prepares middle school and senior high school girls to learn basic computer skills (such as, Word, Excell, Powerpoint) so they are better prepared for work as well as college. As most families cannot support girls financially when in college, withSahar’s computer classes, girls are able to support themselves financially and are able to remove any financial barriers on their way to higher education.

“Computer classes are a rare chance in the city, especially since we do not have to pay fees, which are not feasible for students like myself in Mazar-e Sharif.” Beheshta

Teacher Training Center (TTC): This program has filled and continues to fill the lack of female teachers in rural single-sex schools. As more female teachers are available, more girls are allowed to get high school education. This center has also become a place where high school graduates come to become competent teacher. Not only that, with computer classes being taught, the teachers trained from this center are best in Dowlatabad.

“This is the best opportunity for those girls who are far from the city. We cannot reach to the universities in the city because of it is far from our homes, the security situation on the way and financial problems.” Khalida (Class of 2017)

Thank you Sahar supporter! Only with YOUR support are we able to educate and empower young girls in Afghanistan and change the reality of child marriages.

Thank you,

Ginna Brelsford

Executive Director

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Jun 12, 2019
Thank you!

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your support of Sahar Education! Because of your generosity, girls in Balkh province, Northern Afghanistan, have the opportunity to continue their education! When you support Sahar, you ensure projects that empower and educate girls in Afghanistan continue. Here’s an update of our work:

Digital Coding and Literacy: Over 4,000 girls have graduated from Sahar’s coding and computer programs since 2011 with an 80% graduation rate. We are now expanding the coding program to two new schools.

“I graduated from high school this year and I would like to study engineering. I really like to learn about computers, because engineering uses computers a lot.” - Rahela: 12 grade

Teacher Training for Women:Women who graduate have a career path, securing them financial independence and empowerment for themselves and stabilizing their own families and communities. We are now offering computer technology programs to female teachers in rural areas

“Before coming here I was shy to enter the classroom. I couldn’t even greet the guests who visited our house. After coming here, I have changed a lot. Now I can teach and manage a class by myself.” -Teacher training graduate

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP): Since 2016, over 900 girls have graduated from a Sahar EMPP. When our graduates interact with their families and friends our impact expands – we’ve indirectly influenced over 9,000 people in the communities we serve. Our courses include sessions with fathers and brothers too.

“My sister has a right to go to school and build her future.” -Brother of EMPP student

What’s next for Sahar? We’re building the first ever public boarding school for girls in Afghanistan– and we’ve just broken ground! Want to know more? Check out some highlights below or visit our website for more information!

The functional, beautiful design provides a safe place for girls to pursue their education.
The school is public, so it will be free, removing the financial barrier of school.
Girls will have access to computers and a library, resources they did not have in their rural communities.
We are hiring female teachers – not only giving girls role models, but jobs for young women to gain financial independence.
The school will offer a holistic curriculum that provides leadership skills, mentorship, early marriage prevention courses, coding, digital literacy, access to internships, and community.
Rural girls will have a safe and free option for school that brings education to rural communities.

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

Warmly,

Ginna Brelsford

Links:

https://sahareducation.org/

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Mar 18, 2019
Sahar thanks you for your help educating Afghan Girls!

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your support of Sahar Education! Because of your generosity, girls in Balkh province, Northern Afghanistan, have the opportunity to continue their education! When you support Sahar, you ensure projects like our Early Marriage Prevention Program continue. Hear what Bibi Hamida, an 8th grade graduate of the program, has to say about the impact the program had on her:

“Before the Early Marriage Prevention Program started in our school, we weren’t aware of women’s rights or human rights. When I joined this program, I learned about my rights as a woman and I learned how early marriage is harmful for young girls in our country. We didn’t know that. Now I know that women in Afghanistan can be politicians and serve their country. We are so grateful that Sahar has this program to educate girls about their rights. Most importantly this program is run by women which is very inspiring, because they educate women about important issues that are often ignored in Afghanistan. I would like Sahar to expand this program to other schools and to other provinces as well. People in Afghanistan need to know about early marriage and stop child marriage.”

Life for girls in Afghanistan remains difficult. Two-thirds of Afghan girls do not currently attend school. Only 24% of female students are literate compared to 52% of males. Harmful cultural traditions, gender inequality, limited awareness of rights, and weak law enforcement contribute to early marriage practices that contribute to the staggering reality that 57% of Afghan girls are still married before the legal age of 16.

The goal of our Early Marriage Prevention Program is to keep girls out of early marriage and in school. Its thirteen module curriculum, which covers important topics such as Human Rights, Mental health, and overall confidence, chips away at the realities that pull girls out of school and seeks to empower them to take an active role in decisions related to their education.

To date, over 900 girls have graduated from our program, a program taught, lead, and created by Afghan women, for Afghan women. As we step into our fourth year of the Early Marriage Prevention program, support is still needed. Girls at the schools we work in want and demand the skills and lessons the program offers.

Plus, your support goes even further than preventing early marriage and supports more amazing Sahar projects! Thanks to you:

Over 25,000 girls are educated in Sahar-built schools each year
4,057 girls have been trained in our computer centers to date
160 women have been trained in our teacher training center

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

Warmly,

Ginna Brelsford

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