Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Thank you for donating to our project to educate Afghan Girls. Thanks to you, Sahar is able to provide girls with the basics of education as well as unique job training opportunities in computers and conduct workshops of early marriage prevention.

To date, Sahar has built 19 schools, updated 20+ and impacted over 28,000 girls in our schools and programs annually and over 200,000 since our inception. 

Education may seem like a simple action but in a nation ravaged by war for the last several decades, we are a long ways off from achieving our goals of gender parity in the Afghanistan education system. We at Sahar 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. Sahar is inspired by the girls we serve and we are excited to continue our work - we see tremendous growth in our capability to make providing education to girls a reality.

Hajareh, 17, shares her story below to demonstrate what education can mean in the life of a girl.

"After the fall of the Taliban, schools began again. Any girl interested in getting education could to school. I wanted to go as well. So I talked to my father about it. He did not give me permission to go to the school. I was very sad. I kept asking him why I could not go to school. He responded that the school is not a place for a girl, and that every girl that does attend is simply shameless. I argued with him and responded that learning was for both men and women, not just men. We, as girls, have the right to learn. I told him, my future and our family's future could be so bright. After the conversation with my father, he thought for a while and then said that I was right. I have to go to school, and that knowledge could be valuable. That is how I convinced my father to let me go to school. I am proud of it. 

Fortunately, today I am now in 11th grade. Sahar has also provided us with computers. I like learning about computers and using them. We still have some problems and we requested to build laboratory room, school walls, a sports lot / sport field, drinking water well, and professional teachers. I believe these things need attention and are important for a better school.

Thank you implementing projects in my school. Your help will strengthen the students’ minds and knowledge for a brighter future. Because of your help with my education, I believe, I can defend myself from any kind of oppression. "

Hajareh delayed marriage as well as early childbirth. It is a well known fact that an educated mother is more likely to ensure that her children also receive an education - breaking the cycle of extreme poverty and maternal illnesses. Hajareh will likely continue her studies and be able to contribute to her family's economic situation. Her efforts will make an enormous difference. She is an example of how educating one girl is having a ripple effect on the entire family. 

This is fantastic news and thanks to your support of our computer centers, library books and the buildings for Hajareh to study in, her success is moving to the next level of education.