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Education Afghanistan Project #32287

Support an Afghan Girl's Year at School

by School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA)

Project Report | Jun 28, 2024
A Month of Milestones

By Kevin Jones | Director of Communications

Dear friends,

This June has been a month of milestones for us at SOLA.

On campus, we celebrated the conclusion of another incredible school year. Our girls took their exams and presented their final projects, and as they did, we welcomed to campus more new students: girls who traveled safely to us in Rwanda thanks to our strong and enduring partnership with the UN's International Organization for Migration.

We felt the excitement of the end of classes and the joy of new arrivals -- but in June, we honored another milestone, too.

It has now been more than 1,000 days since girls have been allowed to attend school past 6th grade in Afghanistan.

We commence our summer academic programming. We look ahead to the new school year in the fall. We enroll new students in our online academy, SOLAx.

And we do not look away. We never will.

Kevin

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Mar 1, 2024
A Memorable Winter Break at SOLA

By Ariana Van Beurden | Development Coordinator

The map of Afghanistan created by students

Dear Friends,

As the new winter school term gets underway, we invite you to join us in a look back at what was a memorable winter break. From sports to art to off-campus outings, our students stayed busy -- and to make the holiday even more special, their SOLA sisters studying at international boarding schools came back to visit and participate in all the activities. Our Rwanda campus will always be a home for our students, wherever their paths in life take them.

Here are some of the highlights of the break!

Athletics

Athletics are always a central part of a SOLA girl’s schedule, whether it be during the school year or during break! Over the winter holiday, SOLA girls participated in activities including swimming, running, and volleyball games. They even made it to the local golf course this winter break to try something new.

Engaging regularly in sports encourages healthy habits and positive self image among our SOLA girls. We are eager to continue prioritizing practices and work-outs as we continue to grow our athletics program in the years to come.

School Field Trips & Outings

Throughout the winter break, students also had ample opportunities to get off campus. Trips included visits to the mall (where plenty of ice cream was eaten!); to the Fazenda Center, an outdoor recreation center where girls could participate in activities like archery and horseback riding; and to the Gisimba Memorial Center to learn more about their work defending and protecting the rights of children in Rwanda.

Map of Afghanistan Art Project

A team of SOLA students along with Afghan staff worked together to create this outstanding map of Afghanistan. This map depicts all of the provinces of Afghanistan, celebrating its diversity and representing the backgrounds of each of our students.

Students are now busy with their studies during their winter term and are participating in Geography competitions, cricket matches, special speaking events, and exciting projects to deepen their studies. Thank you so much for supporitng the education of our students.

With Gratitude,

Ariana

A student golfing for the first time!

Students at the Gisimbo Memorial Center

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Nov 2, 2023
Celebrating International Day of the Girl

By Teresa Bendzinski | Director of Annual Giving

First Lady Kagame with Shabana and SOLA students.

On October 11th, we celebrated International Day of the Girl Child (IDG) a day focused on girls’ rights. This year’s theme was “Invest in girls’ rights: our leadership, our well being”.

This was a special year at SOLA, as our campus community welcomed students from Gashora Girls Academy and Maranyundo Girls School. The events of the day were led by the students who spent the day celebrating girls around the world.

We had a very special guest on campus this year...Rwanda's First Lady, Jeannette Kagame!

The First Lady was generous with her time as she engaged with SOLA, Gashora and Maranyundo students, as well as staff of the schools. It was a true privilege and honor to have her on campus for IDG.

In her keynote remarks, she encouraged her audience with words of wisdom and hope.

"It is an honor to be entrusted with your safety, as you pursue what will always remain, first and foremost, your human right: your education. This country will strive to offer you care, protection, and respect, as best as we can. We love you, and are thankful for your presence in Rwanda.

"I wish you a great International Day of the Girl Child, a fantastic academic year and most importantly, a life of joy, peace, safety and success! You were born to rise - to reach the sky and chase the sun."

Along with First Lady Kagame's remarks, the girls were thrilled to take part in the day's events! This year we chose to focus on what education means to each individual. The girls broke out into groups to share their ideas and thoughts.

It was a truly wonderful day on campus with song, dance, and celebrations.

First Lady Kagame addressing the audience at SOLA.

Project created by students on IDG.

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