Scholarships for At-risk Youth in Afghanistan

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your support of Bamyan Foundation, your generous donations have helped children from the Baba, Marefat, ROYA and Rahnaward schools pursue their educational dreams and build a better future. Here is some background on our partner schools and the developments since we joined the GlobalGiving Platform:

Marefat: We’ve provided scholarships to 23 students for the academic year 2018, over half of which are female. Thus far in the term these students have had nearly perfect attendance and have shown great enthusiasm for their education. One example is Ali Sina, a fifteen year old with a love for learning, community activism and taekwondo! Ali Sina comes from a small family that can’t afford the financial stress of school. Through the scholarship program Ali Sina not only has attended school, but has excelled in his classes and school activities. He has held top positions in his classes each year and has served as the head of class council, representing his class at school parliamentary meetings. At school Ali Sina has also managed the Tawana association and formed a group called the Young Ambassadors forum of Afghanistan. Last year he traveled to India as the ambassador of Somalia in the United Nations General Assembly Simulation.  In his spare time he practices Taekwondo, which he’s enjoyed for 10 years and has won 20 medals!

Baba High School: Baba was the first private high school in Bamyan, and through our foundation 32 students have received scholarships in 2018. Many of the students come from poor families, and some are even orphans. While at school, they participate in art associations, cultural groups and sports activities.Ghorbanali, a grade 10 student in the program, always worried about his education since he doesn’t have a father and his family lacked the finances to send him to school. Through Bamyan he’s been able to attend school and his family doesn’t have to suffer the financial burden. Another student, Batool, left school at one point to help her mother and father, who couldn’t work due to illness. Through Bamyan she can easily pursue her education without the financial stress.

Rahnaward: This is our newest partner school, which resides in a marginalized province named Ghor. Though new, we’ve provided scholarships to 17 students! One of these students is Shukria, a grade 10 student who aspired to attend the Rahnaward school but couldn’t due to a lack of financial resources. She previously attended a school that severely lacked the right resources to provide a quality education. Through the Bamyan Foundation, she’s not only improving the quality of her education but also her personal well-being. She has greater confidence now that she knows she can reach her educational goals. She’s also the first girl in her family to break the taboo of receiving of a modern education. She’s currently focused on learning English and finishing school so that she can help her community.

ROYA: This is the second year that the foundation continues its support to 8 former child laborers to continue their education in private High Schools in Kabul.  The foundation is committed to supporting these 8 resilient children till they graduate high school. This program is in collaboration with ROYA, a nonprofit based in Vermont. All the 8 kids are attending schools and demonstrating progress.  The students were moved from government school due to poor quality, lack of qualified teachers, and harsh punishments to students.  Fatima, the youngest of the 8 students, used to make $15 a month for weaving carpet.  And now she is excelling in her education by being a high performing student in Royesh private school.

Overall, we’ve nearly doubled the number of scholarships provided to students. We went from providing 24 scholarships in 2016 to 42 in 2017, and 80 scholarships in 2018! Your donations have helped fund the educational opportunities for these children, who will in turn grow up to be leaders in their communities.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Bamyan Foundation