Gender Equality Afghanistan Project #6083

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

by Sahar Education

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Project Report | Nov 4, 2019
Thank you

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friends of Sahar,

Your generous and long standing support positively impacts the lives of the girls Sahar serves, everyday! Thanks to your donations, our program in Early Marriage Prevention educates and expands aware of girls’ rights. Our coding project encourages more girls enter into the technology field. Our teacher training program continues to expand and helps launch the teaching careers of rural women. These programs help girls realize their dreams and is making significant changes in their life stories.

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP) update: We are currently working with two schools, Hashim Barat and Qary Fathullah. Our recent graduates of EMPP were 8th and 9th graders. This was the fifth round of the Early Marriage Prevention Program in both schools, totally in 214 graduates. The students from these schools come to the EMPP sessions with great enthusiasm and curiosity to learn, which makes the session much more fun to teach.

“I This program helped me realize that we Afghan girls have extraordinary abilities. Afghan girls are so brave and able to defend our human rights and to fight for sexual equality through education.”

Sara 15, 10th grade

Hashim Barat High School

Coding Program Update: This program at Gowhar Khatoon Girls High School is six months long and offered twice a year. Girls from Gowhar Khatoon are more mature and ambitious than girls from other schools which is the result of Sahar’s deep roots in the community. This school is known for the levels of achievements of its students upon graduation. This is a direct result of Sahar’s coding program. Many private software companies, banks, news broadcasters, and women’s organizations give priority to graduates of the Sahar coding program because of their excellent computer skills. This has changed family dynamics as well. As more women enter the technology field, their earning rises exponentially which in turn impacts women’s decision making and authority in families. Families encourage their daughters to get higher education and make a career rather than marrying them off. These new trends are made possible by your generous donations and continuous support to Sahar!

Beheshta is a 10th grade student in Gowhar Khatoon and one of the coding class participants. She says this coding class is an asset for girls who seek careers in technology. Through this class, she has been able to achieve her dream of making her own website. “I have made a website entitled “Poor Children in Afghanistan” and the reason behind this was that I wanted to somehow help Afghan poor children who work on the streets at a time when they should only focus on their education. I can confidently say that when I upload my website on the internet people will contribute in helping these poor children by realizing the tough life they undergo.”

Beheshta, 15, 10th grade

Gowhar Khatoon High School

Teacher Training Center (TTC) Update: Sahar’s Teacher training center has graduated 850 young women in Dawlat Abad, northern Afghanistan. The TTC includes new and exciting subjects into its curriculum, such as computer classes, English language, math, and science. This has further encouraged student enrollment and more families allowing their daughters to become future teachers. The center has open enrollment for the next academic year, and so far 111 students have enrolled– higher than previous years! Students are happy with the TTC center because it’s one of very few programs operating for women in their community that promises a career upon graduation. There are no universities in Dawlat Abad and it is isolated from larger cities. The roads are not safe for women to commute to the city for education. Thus, the TTC not only provides a respected and secure future for its graduates, but quality education that teaches young women to communicate remotely without having to risk their lives during their visits to the city.

Thank you,

Ginna Brelsford

Executive Director

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Aug 8, 2019
Thank You

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your generous support of Sahar Education and we hope you continue your support! Because of your support, girls in Balkh province, Northern Afghanistan, have the opportunity to reach their dreams! When you support Sahar, you ensure projects that empower and educate girls in Afghanistan continue. Here’s an update of our work:

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP) update: We currently run programs in two schools where we serve over 100 students. Sahar’s EMPP has impacted over 4,000 individuals this year– double the number (1770) since the program began in 2016! Awareness of early marriage issues has helped further community support for girls school and education by families. This has been possible because we work alongside the Afghan Ministry of Education and hold separate sessions with community leaders and parents at the end of each graduating class. As a result, the community has supported our projects ,increasing girls participation in our other programs such as coding classes, digital literacy, and teacher training centers.

“Early marriage issues were previously not part of discussions before this program. But with frequent sessions in schools and awareness of its complications through this program have spread awareness and has discouraged people from such acts in our community”... Roena (weekly journals EMPP)

Coding Program: Our Coding Program is offered at the Gawhar Khatoon school. Only top graduates of our digital literacy program are eligible to be enrolled into this prestigious and challenging program, students learn all the nuts and bolts of designing a website. Our programs are so successful that university students often come to our program students to solve their issues.

“It’s a good in fact, a golden and rare opportunity inside our school for us to boost our computer knowledge and serve our people through modern technology. Now I am able to create and design websites by myself,” Meena

Digital Literacy: The Sahar Digital literacy program prepares middle school and senior high school girls to learn basic computer skills (such as, Word, Excell, Powerpoint) so they are better prepared for work as well as college. As most families cannot support girls financially when in college, withSahar’s computer classes, girls are able to support themselves financially and are able to remove any financial barriers on their way to higher education.

“Computer classes are a rare chance in the city, especially since we do not have to pay fees, which are not feasible for students like myself in Mazar-e Sharif.” Beheshta

Teacher Training Center (TTC): This program has filled and continues to fill the lack of female teachers in rural single-sex schools. As more female teachers are available, more girls are allowed to get high school education. This center has also become a place where high school graduates come to become competent teacher. Not only that, with computer classes being taught, the teachers trained from this center are best in Dowlatabad.

“This is the best opportunity for those girls who are far from the city. We cannot reach to the universities in the city because of it is far from our homes, the security situation on the way and financial problems.” Khalida (Class of 2017)

Thank you Sahar supporter! Only with YOUR support are we able to educate and empower young girls in Afghanistan and change the reality of child marriages.

Thank you,

Ginna Brelsford

Executive Director

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Jun 12, 2019
Thank you!

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Dear Friend of Sahar,

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 that empower and educate girls in Afghanistan continue. Here’s an update of our work:

Digital Coding and Literacy: Over 4,000 girls have graduated from Sahar’s coding and computer programs since 2011 with an 80% graduation rate. We are now expanding the coding program to two new schools.

“I graduated from high school this year and I would like to study engineering. I really like to learn about computers, because engineering uses computers a lot.” - Rahela: 12 grade

Teacher Training for Women:Women who graduate have a career path, securing them financial independence and empowerment for themselves and stabilizing their own families and communities. We are now offering computer technology programs to female teachers in rural areas

“Before coming here I was shy to enter the classroom. I couldn’t even greet the guests who visited our house. After coming here, I have changed a lot. Now I can teach and manage a class by myself.” -Teacher training graduate

Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP): Since 2016, over 900 girls have graduated from a Sahar EMPP. When our graduates interact with their families and friends our impact expands – we’ve indirectly influenced over 9,000 people in the communities we serve. Our courses include sessions with fathers and brothers too.

“My sister has a right to go to school and build her future.” -Brother of EMPP student

What’s next for Sahar? We’re building the first ever public boarding school for girls in Afghanistan– and we’ve just broken ground! Want to know more? Check out some highlights below or visit our website for more information!

The functional, beautiful design provides a safe place for girls to pursue their education.
The school is public, so it will be free, removing the financial barrier of school.
Girls will have access to computers and a library, resources they did not have in their rural communities.
We are hiring female teachers – not only giving girls role models, but jobs for young women to gain financial independence.
The school will offer a holistic curriculum that provides leadership skills, mentorship, early marriage prevention courses, coding, digital literacy, access to internships, and community.
Rural girls will have a safe and free option for school that brings education to rural communities.

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

Warmly,

Ginna Brelsford

Links:

https://sahareducation.org/

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