Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

This July Bonus Day was a great success! We are so thankful for every person who donated, liked, shared, or otherwise spread the word about Sahar Education!

Our goal was $10,000 and your efforts helped us raise $6360.66 within 15 hours! This included $1706 in matching funds from GlobalGiving! 

Additionally, throughout the campaign advertisement, which began July 3rd, we received numerous one-time donations towards our cause, totaling $1024.60! 

Our total raised for July Bonus Day was $7385.26! 

Personal Thank you from Executive Director, Meetra Alokozay

Dear Friends of Sahar,

I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. As the Executive Director of Sahar Education, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation to our July Bonus Day campaign.

Your contribution has made a significant impact on our mission and has brought us closer to achieving our goals. Thanks to your support, we are able to continue providing educational opportunities and making a positive difference in the lives of Afghan girls and women.

It is inspiring to witness the power of community coming together to create change, and your involvement is a shining example of that. Your belief in our cause and your willingness to contribute have touched our hearts and reminded us of the incredible generosity that exists in the world.

With your donation, we will be able to enhance our programs, expand our reach, and enroll more girls in our English classes, Computer and Coding training, mental health and physical health workshops, and literacy and sewing training. Your support enables us to push back against Taliban’s draconian bans on girls’ education.

Please know that every dollar you donated will be utilized judiciously and will directly impact the lives of Afghan girls. We are committed to transparency and accountability, and we will keep you informed about the progress we make with your contributions.

Once again, I extend my deepest appreciation for your kindness and compassion. Together, we are creating a brighter future for the girls of Afghanistan. If you ever have any questions or would like to learn more about our organization and the work we do, please do not hesitate to reach out.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Meetra Alokozay

Executive Director

Links:

• Watch Sadaf's Full Story
• Hear Sadaf's story direct!

Dear friends of Sahar,

Thank you for all your support this year! Sahar continues to explore new program opportunities and look for ways to expand our services to Afghan girls in need. Every Afghan girl deserves to be educated, we are working towards this goal every day. 

In June, Sahar was named 2023 NPO of the Year for Afghan Women and Girls’ Education. We are humbled by this award and want to thank each and every one of you for making it possible. Everything we accomplish is only because of the generosity of our community and the bravery of the girls and teachers we serve. 

The Gender Apartheid Worsens

On June 24th, the Taliban ordered that all women’s salons and beauty parlors must close. This is just the latest attack on the freedom and community of Afghan women. The Taliban continues to chip away at every place women can freely exist and bond with each other. This makes our newest program even more vital. 

Sahar has secured a second round of the Threads of Hope program, previously Literacy & Sewing. This program provides sewing classes for women from 17 to 40 years of age. During these sewing courses, women build community, learn to read and write and study women’s empowerment topics. Fundamental ideas like gender equality, women’s health, preventing childhood marriage, and stereotypical gender roles are being oppressed all over Afghanistan. Our Threads of Hope program will give women an opportunity to build community and hope within themselves. 

Program Updates

June was a great month for the girls enrolled in our current programs. We are excited to share their progress with you. 

Underground TechSheroes

 Students in the IT course learned about computers and MS Excel sheets. The lessons were theoretical as well as practical. They learned practical skills such as making attendance sheets through Excel sheets. Those in the advanced Coding course added to their CSS skills by completing projects on Navigation bars, Table design, div rounded borders, webpages with transparent image backgrounds, and more. 

All students in our Underground TechSheroes program discussed Gender Stereotypes, Conflict Resolution, Early Marriage Prevention, Islamic edicts against forced marriage, and Leadership and Equality through our Women’s Empowerment curriculum. 

Stealth Sisters

In June, Sadaf, an alumna of the Stealth Sisters program, was invited as a host speaker. She shared her life-changing experience with the program and how it helped her become a more confident individual. Sadaf’s story not only inspired the current students but also those of us at Sahar. We are sharing more about her story through the next 2 weeks and will have a special event on July 12th.

One of the current students had this to say about the Stealth Sisters program, “Before this course, I felt weak when I was at home. I asked myself why we cannot go to school and study. Since this course started, especially the women’s empowerment program, the feeling of being weak has been removed from me, and my attitude has strengthened. I feel that I am strong. Now I know about my rights. Also, I learned computer programs that are useful for me. Now I can do my homework on the computer.”

In June, the Stealth Sisters learned about Bacha Posh. Students discussed how some girls in some parts of Afghanistan are forced to cover themselves as boys until puberty. The students discussed and wrote about the topic enthusiastically, learning about women’s rights in the meantime. 

At the end of the month, exams and quizzes were taken from the students, and feedback was given. During the past three months, students have been learning about women’s rights and how they can take the lead in improving them in Afghan society. They have responded positively to the programs and have expressed their happiness about having this platform through Sahar.

Sahar Education invites you to a virtual info session to learn how we are fighting back against gender apartheid in Afghanistan! 

Join us, on July 10th, 2023 at 6 pm PST on Zoom! This info session is open to donors, board members, and anyone interested in Sahar’s mission! 

Women and girls are being targeted by segregating policies in Afghanistan which will push the country back even further in progress. Only 23% of Afghan women can read and write at a basic level, the Taliban wants that number at 0! Sahar is not giving up until every woman and girl in Afghanistan can read, write and pursue her own dreams.

We know it’s a long road, and we need YOUR help to get there! Please join us on July 10th to learn what programs we are devoted to in 2023 to improve the lives of Afghan women and how your support can help further our efforts. 

Hear from a Sahar program graduate about how the Stealth Sisters curriculum changed her life!

Learn about current and future programs from Program Manager, Shogofa Amini. Find out the long-term vision of Sahar from Executive Director, Meetra Alokozay.

Learn about the impact Sahar is having on hundreds of Afghan girls through programs that teach them to read, write, speak English, use computers, sew, and code! 

We look forward to seeing you there! Register here.

Thank you again for your continued support! If you would like to donate to make a difference in the lives of Afghan girls in July, please consider donating on July 12th. 

Sahar is participating in July Bonus Day on July 12th! This is an exciting opportunity for Sahar to raise funds for ongoing projects with a match for all unique donations between $100 and $1,000! Please share our mission with your friends and family ahead of the July Bonus Day Campaign!

$400,000 available in Matching Funds for participating projects!

30% match on donations from $100 - $499 (while funds remain)

40% match on donations from $500 - $749 (while funds remain)

50% match on donations from $750 - $1,000 (while funds remain)

Donations up to $1,000 per unique donor per organization will be matched!

Links:

• Register for the FREE July 10th Virtual Info Session!
• Sahar Named 2023 NPO of the Year
• Taliban Closes Beauty Salons