Empower Afghan Girls with Computer Training

Currently, 180 Afghan girls are enrolled in our three-month computer training courses and preparing to graduate this month.

In our course, when students learn PowerPoint, they are placed in groups to make a group presentation. The groups get to practice teamwork as they collectively decide on a topic and then each student is responsible for preparing and presenting at least one slide.

One group decided to do a presentation on what they want to become in the future. Here is what they said,                           

• "I want to become a successful surgeon in the future. Surgery is not an easy job, but I like doing challenging work. I also really enjoy helping people, and one of my goals is to save lives. My father encourages me a lot."
• "I want to become an engineer in the future and build beautiful and strong buildings. I believe that if we all work properly for our country, it will become developed like other countries."
• One of my biggest interests is sports, especially Taekwondo, which I am very passionate about. I practice every day with my brother."
• I want to become a story writer in the future. I think storytelling is a very interesting and enjoyable profession and you never get tired of doing it. This PowerPoint project made me think more about my future and now I want to continue this path."
• I want to become a pilot in the future. Since childhood, I have loved flying in the sky and traveling to different countries."
• I am a person with big dreams, and I want to become the president in the future. I know this position has great responsibilities, but I believe in myself that I can handle them. One of the reasons for choosing this goal is that I want to provide education opportunities for all the girls in my countryso that no one is deprived of learning due to lack of opportunity."

These girls are extraordinary because they continue to hope and dream for their futures despite living in a country that does not allow girls to continue their education beyond sixth grade or work in most sectors. 

We hope with them that the restrictions will be lifted and their dreams will come true.

Two weeks ago, another round of computer training classes concluded with 109 Afghan girls graduating from the three-month course at two centers. The third center will be completing their current round next week and we anticipate that 70 girls will be graduating. 

Students in our centers are between the ages of eight and twelve. The new school year began in March, and the students who just graduated from sixth grade are not allowed to return to school. Our course is teaching them valuable skills that can help them outside the classroom. 

Before students graduate from the computer course, they complete final projects. One student explained what she learned through doing her final project in Excel.

She said, "I decided to create a complete managment system for a construction company. At the beginning, everything seemed very difficult. I had no prior experience with real projects and didn't know how to organize employee information, projects, and company finances into a structured system. Everything was scattered and complex, and I had to learn step by step from the very beginning.

With effort, perseverance, and help from my teacher, I was able to design sheets that included employees and their salaries, projects with detailed costs and timelines, and financial data including revenues, expenses, and profits and lossess. To manage the data accurately, I used formulas, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts. These tools helped me turn scattered information into a well-organized, clear, and decision-ready system. 

The project was my first practical experience with Excel and was extremely valuable. Successfully completing the project significantly increased my confidence in using Excel and managing data."