Gender Equality Afghanistan Project #6083

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

by Sahar Education

Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Project Report | Jul 3, 2018
Help Educate 28,000+ Girls in Northern Afghanistan

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

You make a difference in a country where a little bit goes a long way. Thank you.

As one student said, “I have some education now. I know how a young woman should live. I have dreams. Nothing stops me from wanting to be a doctor or teacher. I just want a buliding to go to school in. I am so happy it is coming. Right now we are in a temporary site. Forget all this talk about the Taliban coming back. Just focus on studying. We need female teachers and better study materials."

And while challenges can be found everywhere, incredible progress can too. And that is what you are part of: committed donors who want to see girls advance and realize hopes and dreams just like in America. In many of the schools we support the Ministry of Education in, students and teachers start a day of lessons that include Dari, English, religion, science, math, and life skills.

According to the Deputy Minister for Education, rural villages—even those nearest the country’s capital—have trouble finding qualified female teachers. Of the 416 districts in Afghanistan, 166 have no women to teach the girls. We have answered this challenge by supporting a Teacher Training Center and helping transport 30 young women from insecure rural areas to the Center for training to learn how to teach. This is building capacity in rural villages where females will step into key leadership and teaching roles.

Your help is met by enthusiasm in the girls. Smiles and giggles meet visitors and our Afghan photojournalist catured wide eyed wonder in the attached photos. Curiousity about life in other places and an endearing sense of the possibilities for their own future were also part of the conversation.

There is of course, much more to do. And your support helps us do that. We continue to repair walls, latrines and roofs in conjunction with village councils and assist with clean water project in a rural area where a well went dry.

40% of girls are in school nation-wide. But in rural areas, that figure is much lower and the literacy level is extremely low. That translates into this: you are helping educate the first girl in her family and maybe the only person in her family to learn to read and write.

With each step comes another strong step and desire for more learning. The support from their famlies to educate their daughters is very real. And the learning is really happening. That is truly a great source for hope for the future.

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Apr 5, 2018
Updates on Sahar's work in Northern Afghanistan

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Thank you for your continued support of our work educating girls in Balkh Province, in Northern Afghanistan. Here’s the story of Hakima, a 9th grade graduate of the Early Marriage Prevention Program:

“I am Hakima; I am a 9th-grade student. I have four sisters and three brothers. My mother is a housewife, and my father is without a job. I love education. I want to be in the army in the future, but my brother and father do not allow me to the be in the military. You cannot be in the military because you are a girl, they say. Participating in this program, I found that a woman can work in any career they love. Our society not only needs male police or army but it is critical for women to be in the police and military. I convinced my family to support me to achieve my goal, and I am sure that one day my family will hear my words to the army to serve my country. Every day I participated in this program with a lot of enthusiasm. We discovered ways to overcome problems that are not taught at school or home. Before participating in this program, I did not know that the underage marriage could cause such a dark future for a girl or that it has adverse outcomes. I did not see this issue before, but now I know. So I don’t want to get married underage, I don’t want my life to be ruined. I just want to continue my education for now and not get married young. I want to have a bright future and serve others as well.”

We work in the most remote areas in Northern parts of Afghanistan, Balkh Province. Our baseline information highlighted that our students prior to joining our Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP) did not have adequate knowledge of their legal rights in general, and their specific rights regarding early marriage. Our program addresses both girls’ fundamental rights and provides opportunities as well as the platform to develop self-confidence - to speak up for themselves and peers whenever they face early marriage. The result of this training is a marked shift in empowerment and perceptions about future opportunities. External factors as well as other projects that might have shaped these impacts include: mentoring effects of guest speakers, leadership modeling of classroom teachers, conversations with family members and changing perceptions of possible economic contributions of more educated girls to family circumstances.

We have graduated 720 students through this program and 2018 marks the third year of our program. Based on feedback received from graduates of the program, this year we added a 13th module on mental health to the EMPP. In this module we spark conversation about mental health and provide students with tools that will help them deal with mental health issues, especially depression and trauma. As one of Sahar’s signature programs, EMPP has now gained a significant reputation in the communities that we serve. The positive impact of EMPP has caused many parties to want to be a part of the program, students and schools in particular. In order to better establish a feedback loop for improving the program as well as enhance quantitative and qualitative measurement systems, we are working with the students from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) model for our EMPP. This model will take into account all the obstacles that we face in the field in Northern Afghanistan. Additionally, we are in process of adding an M&E specialist to our team in Afghanistan to improve our program for the girls we serve.

To date, Sahar has built, repaired, or supplied 25 schools, has impacted over 23,000 girls annually and over 250,000 since our inception. However, the need for more schools and access to education is still growing. Afghanistan's need for education remains daunting with over 40% of their population school aged children. With your help we can continue to provide these opportunities as we aim to make Afghanistan a safer place through education.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this program. The work wouldn't be possible without YOU championing this work.

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Jan 9, 2018
Help Educate 28,000+ Girls in Northern Afghanistan

By Ginna Brelsford | Executive Director

Thank you so much for your donation to Sahar. Your contribution means the world to our work and most especially the Afghan girls we serve.

Education may seem like a simple action in a nation ravaged by war for the last several decades, but we have seen tremendous change in the status of girls and women. Providing quality education experiences is about more than just getting more girls into the classroom, it is about empowering them to be free, creative thinkers who can engage in the public discussion of their country’s culture and politics and be respected and heard. We are a long ways off from achieving our goals of gender parity in the Afghanistan education system, but we continue to see notable growth in our capability to make this a reality.

Sahar offers early marriage prevention workshops throughout the year. Our most recent workshop students heard guest speakers discuss career opportunities for those who stay in school, graduate and delay marriage. The workshops begin with community meetings that include families - especially fathers - religious leaders, the Ministry of Education, principals and community members that are involved in deciding the future of girls.

The top graduates of Sahar-supported computer centers have participated in a girls computer coding program that began in the spring of this year. The program aims to provide the girls with skills that will enable them to work in the computer industry and/or gain entry into a technical training program or university.

To date, Sahar has built, repaired, or supplied 25 schools, has impacted over 23,000 girls annually and over 250,000 since our inception. However, the need for more schools and access to education is still growing. Afghanistan's need for education remains daunting with over 40% of their population school aged children. With your help we can continue to provide these opportunities as we aim to make Afghanistan a safer place through education.

Thank you for your contribution towards girls education in Afghanistan!

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