Join Us on October 25th!
A Night In Afghanistan | Benefit for Sahar Education will be an immersive experience in Seattle, WA honoring the bravery and resilience of Afghan women and girls. Register today to attend in person or virtually.
When girls are educated, communities are stronger, safer, healthier, and more affluent. An educated girl can change the world—but right now too many aren’t getting the chance they deserve to reach their full potential. After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, girls all over the country are banned from secondary education. Many girls in Afghanistan were already far behind in their access to education due to years of Taliban rule, stigma against girls’ education, the lack of available facilities, and early marriage or motherhood keeping girls from school.
Learn more about the work Sahar has done in Afghanistan to allow more girls to go to school. Learn about the alternative ways Sahar creates opportunities for learning and empowering spaces for girls and women under the current difficult circumstances. Read about our past success in repairing schools that are no longer viable, and building schools in communities that needed them, pioneering the use of sustainable design for buildings in Afghanistan. Hear from the girls and women in our English and computer classes, literacy and sewing programs, and women’s empowerment and health workshops. And explore the unique methods we’re using to prevent early marriage to keep more Afghan girls in school, longer.
Equal Education Opportunities
Sahar provides equal education opportunities for girls and women in Afghanistan. Since 2001, Sahar has built and repaired schools specifically for Afghan girls to address the substantial under-representation of girls among the students flooding the Afghan education system.
As access to girls’ education in Afghanistan becomes more challenging after the Taliban takeover of the country in August of 2021 and the ban on girls’ secondary education, Sahar remains committed to finding alternative ways to educate girls and women. Sahar partners with grassroots and in-country organizations in Afghanistan to provide safe spaces for women and girls to come together and learn. Sahar equips the in-country partners with funds, program development, evidence-informed curricula, project management, training, and support to help advance their efforts of educating girls and women across the country.
Improving Literacy
Sahar is committed to literacy classes for girls and women who were unable to attend school during the first Taliban rule and were not given the chance to return once schools re-opened. In communities where the literacy rate for women continues to be low, Sahar runs programs that focus on literacy and vocational training.
Afghan Girls School Attendance
As of January 2023, 80% of school-aged Afghan girls and young women – 2.5 million people are out of school. Nearly 30% of girls in Afghanistan have never entered primary education. Source: Unesco reports April 20, 2023.
Ministry of Education Partnership
Pre-Taliban, Sahar partnered with the Afghanistan Ministry of Education (MOE) to improve girls’ access to education. This included but was not limited to protocols with the MOE that governed our building programs, digital literacy programs, and prevention of early marriage pilot programs.
Sahar also worked with the Ministry of Higher Education to increase the number of female teachers by supporting a teacher training center in rural Northern Afghanistan. In each circumstance, this approach ensured continuity in program delivery and required mutual involvement on the part of the Ministry and Sahar. Our building projects were turned over to the MOE to operate upon completion.
Sahar is actively working with in-country partners that have established working relationships with the current Ministry of Education to resume our digital literacy classes at the teacher training center and public high schools in Mazar-i-Sharif.
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Latest News
- Juneau World Affairs Council Welcomes Shogofa AminiOn September 14th, 2023, Sahar Program Manager, Shogofa Amini shared her story and the story of Afghanistan with the Juneau World Affairs Council. Shogofa spent 5 years of her childhood … Read more
- September Newsletter
September is a time for Back to School preparations in the United States. Many parents are buying clothes and supplies for their children and looking forward to those first-day photos. … Read more - A Night In Afghanistan
Benefit For Sahar Education Join Sahar Education in celebrating the resilience of Afghan women! Enjoy an evening of Afghan music, hors d’oeuvres, wine, and henna. Speakers Meetra Alokozay, Shogofa Amini, … Read more - Two Years of Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan
The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan over the past two years has brought about significant shifts in the lives of women and girls, impacting their access to education, social roles, and mental well-being. While promises of change have been made, the reality on the ground remains complex and often daunting. This blog sheds light on the challenges faced by Afghan women and girls under the Taliban, particularly concerning education, social dynamics, and mental health.
