Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your support of Sahar Education! Because of your generosity, girls in Balkh province, Northern Afghanistan, have the opportunity to continue their education! When you support Sahar, you ensure projects like our Early Marriage Prevention Program continue. 

Even before the pandemic life for girls in Afghanistan remains difficult. Only 24% of female students are literate compared to 52% of males and girls are more likely to be out of school than boys in the country. Harmful cultural traditions, gender inequality, limited awareness of rights, and weak law enforcement contribute to early marriage practices that contribute to the staggering reality that 57% of Afghan girls are still married before the legal age of 16. As the COVID-19 Pandemic rages in Afghanistan, the liklihood for child marriage increases due to increased poverty and reduced access to reproductive care, among other contributors. The goal of our Early Marriage Prevention Program is to keep girls out of early marriage and in school. This continues to be our goal, despite the obstacles. 

To date, over 1,000 girls have graduated from our program, a program taught, lead, and created by Afghan women, for Afghan women. As we step into our fourth year of the Early Marriage Prevention program, support is still needed. Girls at the schools we work in want and demand the skills and lessons the program offers.

Plus, your support goes even further than preventing early marriage and supports more amazing Sahar projects! Thanks to you:

• Over 25,000 girls are educated in Sahar-built schools each year
• 4,057 girls have been trained in our computer centers to date
• 832 women have been trained in our teacher training center

Hear what Farima Shamsi, an 10th grade graduate of the program, has to say about the impact the program had on her:

“Sahar's Early Marrieage Prevention Program (EMPP) has been very helpful for me and girls my age. [From EMPP] I learned self confidence. My favorite session was mental Health sessions, because my self-esteem was particularly low. It was very useful for me because... I was able to recognize signs [of depression] and overcome of them. This program has brought changes not only to my life but also to the lives of people around me... I live in a society that is very traditional and practices patriarchy. Nowhere in the Qura'an does it say that women do not have rights to education. So why then do men stop women’s education? And why women’s education is considered a social stigma? This is all patriarchy.” 

We couldn’t do it without you. Thank YOU for making a difference in the lives of Afghans girls today!

Dear Friends of Sahar,

GlobalGiving’s continuous support and generous donations helps Sahar reach 23,000 Afghan girls annually and helps sustain our signature programs including Early Marriage Prevention, Coding, and Teacher Training Centers. As a donor you are ensuring that girls in rural Mazar-e-Sharif will keep learning computer skills, raise awareness of early marriage issues, and train female teachers in local communities to increase literacy rates. Sahar’s work helps girls stay in school.  This in turn raises literacy levels, improves family income, and provides opportunities to tackle significant poverty rates. For each girl educated, it is estimated seven family members are positively impacted.

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP): As we enter our sixth year, EMPP continues to thrive! The students are inspired and enthusiastic in part because topics of mental health and trauma, art therapy and human rights are explored. So far this year we have an incredible 274 students enrolled! They post messages and write journals to express how this program has impacted them.

“The painting session was very interesting: when the teacher played music, we painted. I painted things that inspired me. I want to be a leader one day, the seminar helped me so much.” Madina 10, 6th grade

Coding Program: 36 students graduated from the program in 2019. The reputation of success and the avenues for girls to continue in information technology fields has put our program in high demand– including the need for a waiting list! More girls are entering technology, architecture, and engineering fields after graduating from the  Coding Program. In effect, our coding classes provide students with a stepping stone to university. Sahar coding graduates are making historical progress in male dominated professions.

“I will be the first in my family to pursue the technology and computer science field. My interest in this field grew as I began taking computer classes, and then Coding classes. These classes have helped sharpen my skills and knowledge that I am confident will help me in building my career. I am hopeful to someday be able to publish my own website and showcase my activities to my clients.” Mursal, 14, 8th grade

Teacher Training Center (TTC): Students enroll to become a certified teacher in the rural community of Dowlat Abad. Their energy and enthusiasm can be seen in their attendance, despite local security issues and social rules that ban women and girls from getting an education. Currently we have over one hundred students undergoing the two-year TTC training. TTC graduates take their lessons into the local community and are raising literacy rates among the local women, creating jobs in their communities, and improving their family income. As a result, the TTC is also impacting the local economy and empowering women.

On behalf of all Sahar program participants, elders in the communities, and Sahar staff we thank you for your generous donations and continuous support to Afghanistan women. Thank you! 

Best,

Ginna Brelsford, Sahar Executive Director