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Gender Equality Afghanistan Project #55784

Support Girls' Education in Afghanistan

by Bamyan Foundation

Project Report | Dec 3, 2024
Girls' Education in Afghanistan - December Update

By Timor Karimy | Founder & President

Thank you for generous donations to Support Girls’ Education in Afghanistan.

We have received updates about the progress of 127 girls in our schools. We are pleased to hear that they are making progress academically. Some of them who were struggling academically at the beginning of the year are showing significant improvement during the second part of the year. The final exams are being held and we will update you in our next report.

Our schools have instilled a sense of hope and dreams. The girls are studying with a strong motivation that building a strong educational foundation will help them apply for colleges and universities outside Afghanistan. They are developing practical goals beyond high school and see education as the way forward.

Here are brief biographies of some of our students. Out of caution, we do not disclose the names of our schools, teachers and students.

Sara:

Sara is one of the students who completed grade six. As Taliban doesn’t allow girls higher than sixth grade, Sara didn’t have the advantage of continuing her education. After the collapse of the government, she had no any other option, but to stay at home. "After the door of schools were closed for girls, I started my mornings without any goal because my future looked ambiguous and uncertain". Sara says. She had goals and dreams for herself from her childhood. She was interested in cinema and wanted to become an actress, but cinema was closed in Afghanistan after the government collapsed. As a result, she had to change her mind and is now eager to become a business woman. Now that she is supported by Bamyan Foundation, she is very happy and hopeful that she will be able to continue her education in order to become an effective person in the future. Sara is now interested in mathematics and English language. She says, "My second option is to become an engineer and gain the ability to rebuild my ruined and destroyed country". Sara is glad that she has the opportunity to continue her education in the underground classes. Sara says, "After I received the support of Bamyan Foundation, once again I took the pen in my hand and turn my face towards the books. I am grateful to the teachers, the head of school and specially Bamyan Foundation that have provided this opportunity for me and other girls".

Bahar:

Bahar is one of our students continuing her education in our underground schools. She says that the secret classes have allowed her to dream about her abandoned goals and ambitions. Bahar was banned from school following the Taliban takeover as she was above grade 6. She enjoys group projects with her classmates, math and physics classes. She believes that building a strong foundation in science classes (math, physics, chemistry) and command in English will increase her chances to get admission in colleges and universities outside Afghanistan.

Please know that our schools are located in Afghanistan persecuted Hazara communities, who have borne the brunt of racism and discrimination in Afghanistan. The community is under stifling marginalization by Taliban and systematic attacks by ISIS. Hazara girls and women face diverse and intersecting vulnerabilities based on gender, race and religion. They are, in large part, a voiceless community, as their narrative has not yet arrived in western capitals.

And last but not least, please know that today on December 03, Bamyan Foundation is participating in 2024 GivingTuesday campaign, from 00:00 EST to 23:59 PM EST. GlobalGiving is offering a $750,000 Incentive Fund that will be distributed to participants proportionally based on final fundraising totals. Donation up to $1,800 per unique donor per organization will be eligible to receive Incentive Funds – the more you give, the more Bamyan Foundation will get. All of our four projects, including Support Girls’ Education in Afghanistan, will participate in this campaign. This will be a great opportunity to maximize your impact and make education accessible for girls in Afghanistan.

With gratitude,

Timor + The Bamyan Foundation Team

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Jul 20, 2024
Girls' Scholarships - Academic Year 2024

By Timor Karimy | Founder & President

Thank you for your generous donations to Support Girls’ Education in Afghanistan.

We are pleased to inform you that we are continuing our girls’ education programs in Afghanistan, thanks to the resourcefulness of our educators on the ground. We are supporting 127 girls with scholarships that guarantees their education for the current academic year. 96 of the girls, grades 7-12, are continuing their education via our underground classes. 19 girls in two different schools are continuing their education via a specially designed program that includes a combination of remote and in-person classes. 12 girls, grades 2-6, continue their education via regular classes as they are allowed to go to school.

With this year's tally, we have provided 749 scholarships for girls in Afghanistan since the inception of our program in late 2015.

Please know that Bamyan Foundation was among the first organizations that allowed girls to have access to education in Afghanistan, following Taliban’s draconian rule that banned girls and women from education. Through our programs that was designed and constantly modified by our educators in light of the volatile situation on the ground, we have created a pathway for girls to grow intellectually and in the process, we have instilled hopes and dreams again. The girls are once again dreaming to become doctors, engineers, teachers and more. Here are some of the biographies we have received. For their safety, we do not use their real names.

Sima:

I'm in 10th grade and this is the third year that Bamyan Foundation is supporting my education. I know that it is a unique opportunity for me and I'm trying my best to excel in my studies. It is my dream to graduate high school, and I hope that the Foundation continue supporting me to achieve this dream. It is also my hope that the Foundation supports more girls like me to help them have access to education in this difficult time in Afghanistan.

Zahra:

I'm in 9th grade and one of the Bamyan scholarship recipients continuing my education in a country, where girls cannot go to school. I consider myself lucky I'm thankful for the opportunity. Its my wish that the Foundation develops the capacity to support more girls to allow them to achieve their potentials.

There is tremendous emphasis on modern education among the Hazaras due to the community’s bitter experiences in Afghanistan – from historic endemic racism and religious discrimination to systematic attacks by Taliban and ISIS in recent years.

The scholarship fund not only guarantees the girls' access to education - the fund, in turn, covers salaries for women teachers and keeps the programs active. As such, it fosters an environment where girls can go to school and enables the women educators to provide for their families. Furthermore, our program is scalable – the more funds we raise, the more girl students and teachers we can support.

Once again, we are so grateful for your support that allows our team to continue this meaningful work.

Timor + The Bamyan Foundation Team

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Mar 22, 2024
Girls' Scholarships - Final Update for Year 2023

By Timor Karimy | Founder & President

Thank you for your generous donation to Support Girls’ Education in Afghanistan.

2023 was another difficult year for girls and women in Afghanistan. The only country, where women and girls are banned from education and employment. These days, women are not even allowed to leave their homes without a male family member – quite a dark picture in this day and age.

Despite the enormous challenges, we would like to inform you that, out of the 147 female scholarships recipients in the academic year 2023, 141 girls passed their final exams and have moved on to the next grades. 92 girls (grades 7-12) studied in our underground classes last year, and 24 continued their education in one of our schools via segregated classes taught by women teachers. The remaining 31 girls attended our regular schools as they were below grade 7. We are pleased to hear that seven students graduated high school last year.

Please know that since the inception of the program in 2016, we have provided 613 scholarships for Hazara girls, who face incredible hardships due to the intersectional factors of gender, race and religion in Afghanistan. Over the years, many of our students have obtained admission in colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Bangladesh, and in continental Europe. This is a testament to the success of our community-led educational programs.

Though the Taliban ministry of education does not approve the final transcripts for the girl students between grades 7-12 due to the ban, nonetheless, our schools provide certificates that the girls have successfully passed the final exams and that they are eligible for the next grades. Our hope is that when the ban is lifted at some point in the future – the certificates will stand as evidence of completion of each grades.

2024 will remain a difficult year for girls and women in Afghanistan. According to the UNICEF, 330,000 girls will be deprived from secondary school education this year. The only recourse for girls, ages 13 and above, are religious schools or Madrassas. However, according to our educators on the ground, the Madrassas do not include subjects like Math, Physics, Chemistry and English, and only focus on Islamic studies and therefore, far from a compete education. Many parents, particularly in Hazara areas, would prefer not sending their daughters to Madrassas.

In light of the above, it is more important than ever, to help alternative locally-led educational programs that make education accessible for girls. Programs like the ones offered in our regular schools and underground schools. Please see our previous report to learn about the girls education programs.

The new academic year is beginning in a few days. With your help, we will continue our scholarship program that has become a beacon of hope in the marginalized and persecuted Hazara communities in Afghanistan. Our goal is to raise the funds to provide 300 scholarships this academic year.

Thank You,

Timor + the Bamyan Foundation Team

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