Category: Blog

Wow! What a wonderful year it has been for Sahar. Not only have we increased our positive impact on girls education in Afghanistan, but we’ve also become a stronger and more sustainable organization. Thanks to the consistent support of our donors, we’ve had many successes this year:

2 Issue Briefings
1 Fall Event
1 new Afghan fellow
1 new operations and campaign manager
8 Dining for Women chapter appearances
4 grants received (Dining for Women, One Day’s Wages, Girls Rights Project, International Foundation)

We are continuously humbled by the commitment of our staff, board, and community to bring educational opportunities to Afghan girls. On behalf of Sahar, thank you for your dedication and for making 2017 a year to remember! We are motivated and invigorated as we move into 2018.

Sahar’s impact to date:

250,000 girls educated at Sahar-supported schools
737 teachers trained through Sahar programs
3,224 students have attended Sahar computer center classes
730 graduates from our Early Marriage Prevention Program

We are excited to announce the publication of the Sahar 2017-2018 Impact Report. We’ve accomplished a lot since our inception as an organization and we are thrilled to be able to continue doing valuable work for and with girls in Afghanistan. The last year has been another fantastic period of growth and achievement, as we have focused on evaluating our existing projects to understand what truly works best as well as seeking to expand our reach even further.

We hope that you’ll enjoying learning more about our programs and what we have accomplished. Our goal is to portray the progress we are making and the hope we have for the future.

Of course, none of our work would be possible without the generous Sahar supporters who contribute vital funding, expertise, pro bono services and mentoring support. Thank you for helping us take another step towards a world where Afghan girls have equal access to education.

Sahar 2017 – 2018 Impact Report

Impact report written by Nina Boe, Sahar Senior International Research Intern.

We’d like to extend a heart-felt THANK YOU! On #GivingTuesday Sahar supporters showed up strong – we surpassed our goal of $2,000 and raised $5,503.21! With the match, our total was $8,311.71. Wow! All in one day!

Thank you for your generosity and for helping to kick off the holiday season by giving. Your support means the world to Afghan girls and to their future.

#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in all 50 states and in countries around the world. This year, #GivingTuesday falls on November 28. #GivingTuesday harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners
to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. It inspires people to take collective action to improve their communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that they mean even more when we give together.

What are coming together to support? Girls like Shararah, a 10th grader in our digital literacy program, who need the tools to reach their full potential:

“I am so grateful to participate in the computer class. We are so happy for this opportunity. Before I came here I didn’t know anything about a computer or programs. When our teacher gave us homework to find info from the internet or to do an assignment on a computer I could not do my homework. Now, I can type about a subject, I can make a chart or a list. I ave learned so many valuable things in the computer center. Most important of all, this class is free for all girls, it’s magnificent for us because our families are unable to pay money for programs like this.”

Mina Ekramnia joined Sahar in the fall 2017 as a Senior International Research Intern. As a University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Graduate student, Mina is assisting Sahar in designing curriculum on Mental Health issues for girls as part of Sahar’s Early Marriage Prevention Program. Mina has a master’s degree in Neuroscience, and a solid statistical and quantitative background. She will implement her knowledge and skills in designing diverse activities for the Afghan girls. Mina will also assist in implementing evaluation and monitoring program to assess the progress of the program. Given Mina’s personal experiences in Iran and her educational background, she is passionate to work with Sahar, to empower girls in Afghanistan through Education.

We are pleased to announce that we raised more than $119,000 at Sahar’s 2017 Fall Event! Thanks to your generosity, we exceeded our goal. We are excited to continue Sahar’s programs and to launch the first-ever sustainably built public boarding school for rural girls in Mazar-i-Sharif. Wow!

We’ve posted photos from the evening on Sahar’s Facebook page—thanks to our event photographer, Nina Boe. Go check them out!

To our speakers – thank you for your incredible passion and dedication. Thanks also to our Sahar board member and event emcee who ensured that the program ran smoothly! And to all of you who joined us last night – thanks for being part of Sahar’s incredible community. Your commitment to a brighter future inspires us every day.

With gratitude,
The Sahar team

Many thanks to our sponsors: The Miller Hull Partnership, as well as Form Marketing, Katerra, Plum Project Services, Girlie Press, and Kabul Afghan Cuisine.