The Safer World Fund

Last month I spent an evening with Sakena Yacoobi, the founder and executive director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL). The Institute manages “Fast-Tracking Education for Afghan Women and Girls,” one of the projects in the Safer World Fund.  In just a couple of hours, my admiration for educators in that part of the world quadrupled.

Sakena is a remarkable woman who has offered learning opportunities to countless women and girls in Afghanistan for several decades. She understands well the setback caused by many years of Taliban rule in her country when girls and women were forbidden from going to school. But today she is optimistic about her country’s future as she sees a keen hunger for education amidst all the challenges. The schools provided by the government have lower standards than she would like, so she works tirelessly to train teachers, develop curriculum, provide learning materials and build schools through AIL. 

The Afghan Institute of Learning is just one example of the terrific work of the nine organizations in the Safer World Fund. Please tell your friends and family to be inspired and take advantage of the remaining matching funds today. Thank you so much for your support of education, training, and health care--especially for women and girls--in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Tuesday’s attack on a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was a powerful advocate for girls’ education reminds us of the struggle to offer girls the opportunity to go to school. Malala Yousafzai had spoken eloquently to promote education for girls and children’s rights in the Swat Valley, close to the Afghan border. She became a powerful symbol of resistance to Taliban ideology.

“Malala is our pride. She became an icon for the country,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

The Taliban took responsibility for the shooting, and the people of Pakistan have come together to express their revulsion for the act. Malala remains in serious condition in Peshawar.

Malala’s bravery in speaking out and the Taliban’s heinous act point to the continued relevance of the Safer World Fund. The nine projects in the Safer World Fund focus on education and health care, especially for women and girls, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Please spread the word that the 1-for-2 match remains in place until all matching funds are gone. Whether you specifically support secondary education for 30 girls in Pakistan, prefer to help 200 women in Pakistan launch successful businesses, or choose to support the Safer World Fund overall, we hope you’ll agree what a great way this is to show your support for Malala and other girls who want to go to school.