The Safer World Fund

Education is one of the major themes of The Safer World Fund. One of our projects, Grow Peace in Afghanistan: Educate 3000 Women, educates marginalized populations to give them the tools they need to improve the livelihoods of their families and communities. A recent update from the project’s parent organization, Aid Afghanistan for Education (AAE), tells the story of one of the newest students named Freshtah.

Though she is a Kabul native, Freshtah and her family migrated to Herat, in the west of Afghanistan, during the Taliban regime. Freshtah has always had an itch for education and asked her father to hire a tutor for her. For a while, she enjoyed studying with her tutor at home. Then, when she was just 13, her educational career took a turn for the worse when her father decided to marry her off due to financial issues. Freshtah's husband, who was much older than she, frequently abused her. The beating caused Freshtah to lose most of her vision in one eye. Last year, Freshtah's husband brought her back to Kabul and went back to Herat himself, leaving her alone.

Last year, things started to look up. Now 27 years old, Freshtah enrolled in 6th grade at an AAE school. In the afternoons, she takes English classes; in the evenings, she tailors clothing to support herself. Freshtah's parents are still very poor, so she is living with her aunt. 

The Safer World Fund is pleased to provide a 1-for-2 match for the AAE education project as well as seven other projects that support education, training, and health care for people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thank you for supporting women and girls, as well as men and boys, so they can lead lives of opportunity and hope.