Give the Gift of Data

Since we began our "Give the Gift of Data" campaign in late 2024, we have admitted 500 more students to Afghan Female Student Outreach, and thousand more are knocking on the door. We have hundred of volunteer educators ready to help these women, ejected arbitrarily from university by the Taliban, to cntinue and complete their education. What they still require is a connection to the internet, which we provide through mobile phone data.

As a result of generous gifts to the campaign, we have been able not only to expand our student body, but also to support students in credit-based classes through the Global Higher Education Alliance, which awards American university credit but does not provide internet connectivity. We currently have 6 students in a pilot program through this partnership, earning their undergraduate degrees, full-time, online, because we provide them access.

This program could not be more impactful and direct in its ability to change the lives of Afghan women suffering under gender apartheid. Please visit us at https://www.afsousa.org to learn more and sign up for our Newsletter.

With thanks to all for your support,

Lucy Ferriss

President of the Board

Afghan Female Student Outreach

Links:

• This article in Forbes describes our students' situation

Internet connectivity remains AFSO's greatest expense and the most necessary component of our program. When Afghanistan experienced a 3-day internet outage in September, we began an ongoing investigation into alternative forms of connection, any of which will require significant investment. Meanwhile, though, with connection restored, we are supplying a lifeline to students whose lives would be utterly cut off otherwise. 

Our classes are synchronous, meaning that students and professors meet in real time, with the chance to probe issues, answer questions, and advance knowledge in a real classroom environment. Our students report that they have found their academic community again, after years of being trapped in their homes by Taliban policies.

Most exciting this year is the initiation of the Bard Global BA, an American-accredited online undergraduate degree in which 6 of our best students are participating, with others in preparation for September 2026. As full-time college students, these young women require four times the amount of data to access their credit-bearing classes, and AFSO is committed to ensuring their connectivity. So the gift of data is more important than ever!

Links:

• Check out our website