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Thursday, October 11th – International Day of the Girl!

October 11th is not just a day; it’s a movement, it’s a worldwide revolution. We want girls everywhere to be seen as equals and to have the agency to become who they want to be.

In 2011, as the result of youth advocacy around the world, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.” It’s a day when activist groups come together under the same goal to highlight, discuss, and take action to advance rights and opportunities for girls everywhere.

For more information: http://www.dayofthegirl.org/

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“What is it like to Intern with Sahar?”

By: Sapida (Intern- Summer 2018)

Sapida is a senior at Montclair State University. She is finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Law and Jurisprudence and minor in Public Administration.

Sahar Education and our implementing partner have provided me with an open work environment where, surrounded a supportive team, I have grown intellectually. My skills have improved and the experience has been very rewarding. I have worked on many projects such as Early Marriage Prevention Program (EMPP), Teacher Training Center, and Computer Classes.

This is my second summer interning with Sahar. My first experience with Sahar was in the summer of 2016. During my visits to schools, I found myself in a totally new world. The majority of schools did not have basic necessities, including classrooms, desks, and water. Some schools used tents as classrooms but others did not even have them. Essentially, it was just a chalk board and a teacher. The experience left me shocked. I knew there was a lot to improve and I wanted to be a part it.

This summer it has been a pleasure to join the team again. For the past two months, I have been working on monitoring and evaluation. I have compiled data for EMPP from 2017 to present. Additionally, I translate documents, interview students, and collect their stories.

It is rewarding to see the impact of our programs on each participant. When we have guest speakers from diverse career backgrounds, I can tell the girls are inspired. They are encouraged to stand up for themselves and to think outside of the box with their dreams and goals. Many of them say that prior to this program they did not know women could do so many things. EMPP allows girls to keep dreaming big and not let their family members stop them from creating a better future for themselves. It pushes girls to think about their lives beyond marriage and motherhood, empowering the next generation of Afghan girls to be independent.

A few days ago, I met a family of seven members. The couple has three daughters and two sons. The oldest daughter got married during her senior year in high school.  She was married to a man in Europe that she had never seen or known before; she had only talked to him on the phone. They have been married for two years. The husband stopped her schooling and restricted her from going out. The girl’s parents seem happy about this relationship. And yet, their daughter weeps every day. The parents cannot say a word to their son-in-law because he sends them a few hundred dollars monthly. To me, this is long-distance slavery. Just like their daughter, the girl’s parents were married when they were in school, and they never have been happy together. The wife dislikes her husband even today, after twenty years of marriage. This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for generations. Our EMPP is tailored to prevent it through the sharing information and critical constructive dialogue to break down social norms and open the door for what is possible for girls. The sessions with parents are a key component of EMPP. These sessions enable the parents to learn about the harms of early and forced marriages, and encourage them to share this new knowledge with their communities.

Through the EMPP, Sahar is teaching girls that they have equal rights as the men in the society. In computer classes, Sahar is teaching skills for economic independence. Many of the girls come from poor families and they cannot go to private tutoring for computer classes. Girls are normally restricted from going to tutoring because they are coed, however,  Sahar’s computer classes are held in girls’ only schools. During my computer classes visits, I’ve talked to girls who could not go to school for various family, financial, or security issues but are able to study in our computer classes. I hope to see this program expand.

Sahar is inspiring a generation of girls and young women to stand up for their education and to challenge norms by taking unapologetic action. 

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Friday, September 14 2018, Sahar hosted an evening at the Center for Architecture and Design as part of Seattle Design in Public Festival. The discussion centered around how design and built environment impact global education. Most these discussions focused on physical infrastructure and space. Ginna Brelsford, Sahar Executive Director, Dave Miller, Miller Hull partnership partner and Sahar Board Member, Rick Sundberg, partner at Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects, and Shogofa Amini, Sahar Afghan Fellow, each pointed that education is the main key to development and growth – the human mind is capable of making possible all development achievements.

Today, Sahar’s Gawhar Khatoon High School is one of the most provided for schools in Balkh Province. Sahar provided a place where girls can go and physically and mentally focus. They don’t have to study under tent, without a desk, without a chair. Shogofa Amini shared her experience of studying in a tent with no desks – it was hard to take notes but school was where she wanted to be. Today, looking at Gawhar Khatoon it makes a big difference. This building is not a only a building. It’s a place where girls build their future of their country’s future.

Building a school in war zone country means so much for Afghan girls – the generation hungry for education and so determined to learn. Schools mean hope for the future. Schools mean they can take responsibility for their communities. And schools mean peace. Only by educating young girls and boys will they have opportunities to stand up for themselves and build their own country in a peaceful and positive way.

David illustrated Sahar’s plan for a new boarding school. This school will open up a door of opportunity for girls who don’t have access to education in their villages. Building schools won’t be possible without engaging the community and Ministry of Education in Afghanistan.

Rick Sundberg shared his work in another part of the world – Tanzania. His work building an orphanage and supporting buildings makes a difference in these individuals lives. Many of the children in Tanzania continue on to higher level of education that wouldn’t be possible without having a place to learn and grow at. Rich Sunberg able to build the trust in a community where he could prove that design and the built environment could make a big difference for education.

Investing in education is how we can help Afghanistan or developing countries. Sharing books and pens, building a place where they can learn, a place for them to stand up for themselves to bring positive changes in their countries.

—- Shogofa Amini, Sahar Afghan Fellow

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Speakers set for FREE Sahar co-hosted event on Friday, September 14th 2018!

How does Design and the Built Environment impact Global Education?
Presented by: Sahar Education + Miller Hull Partnership

Friday, September 14th 2018
5:30PM – 8:00PM

Center for Architecture and Design
1010 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104

FREE, please RSVP HERE.

Practitioners in the fields of architecture, design, non profits, and the University of Washington will join together in a panel that explores the intersections of international development and architecture/design to improve access to education in challenged populations around the world.

David Miller:

David is a nationally-recognized architect known for pursuing innovative sustainable and high performance design strategies while responding to each site’s unique conditions. David is a partner at Miller Hull Partnership and on the board of Sahar Education.

Shogofa:

A native of, Afghanistan, Shogofa began her fellowship with Sahar in July of 2018. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Regis College in Weston, Mass., graduating with honors in 2016.

Ginna Brelsford:

Ginna Brelsford is the Executive Director of Sahar. Ms. Brelsford brings over 20 years of experience in government, business and the non-profit world of international development. Ginna’s commitment to gender equality and access to education began with a focus on literacy in Brazil and spanned two decades of work in Russia, Latin America and Asia.

Rick Sundberg:

With over forty years of hands on experience, architect Rick Sundberg and his partners at Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects are dedicated to the guiding philosophy that buildings should give back more than they take: to the communities and clients that depend on them and the environment that sustains them.

Design in Public’s flagship program, the Seattle Design Festival (SDF) was founded in 2011 to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle, and to nurture relationships among designers, citizens, city leaders, and future-thinking business innovators. Now in its 8th year, SDF is the largest design-related event in the Pacific Northwest, gathering 120+ partners and over 30,000 attendees to 80+ citywide events each September.

2018 is the year of TRUST. From September 6-21, the Seattle Design Festival will connect designers, community members and civic leaders to explore how we design for TRUST.

More information here: https://www.designinpublic.org/

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Tuesday, August 28th event recap: “Building Their Future: How Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan Are Preventing Early Marriage”

“How does a building prevent early marriage?” This is the question Ginna Brelsford poses to the  audience at Sahar’s co-hosted event with Global Washington on Tuesday, August 28th 2018. “What is the role of a safe, beautiful, physical space?” she asks.

At the event, Sahar showed why it is “shining example” for small nonprofits. With an eloquent presentation, Ginna Brelsford, Dave Miller, and Afghan Fellow Shogofa Amini, shared both powerful statistics as well as personal anecdotes to illustrate the importance of Sahar’s work. “How are Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan Preventing Early Marriage?” The answer, as the presentation revealed, is in what lies deeper than just the building. It’s the work to train teachers and give girls skills to open the minds of their communities, ultimately breaking down years of barriers for women in Afghanistan. With Sahar’s new boarding school project, the opportunity to change lives and the future of Afghanistan’s next generation is here. With one school, Sahar creates a new model.

Dave Miller, the CEO of Miller Hull Architecture, has chosen to use his talents to support education for those who need it most. With Sahar’s latest building project in 2015, the Gawhar Khatoon school, Miller Hull and the UW School of Architecture partnered with Sahar to develop a culturally appropriate, practical, and ground-breaking design. So ground-breaking, in fact, that it received the AIA award for its success – one of the top awards in Architecture.

For Sahar’s Afghan fellow Shogofa Amini, everything and everyone around her seemed to be a barrier to an education. As she shares, her education was stopped for six years as a result of Taliban rule. “They couldn’t win,” she says. “I’m here today.” A story of persevering through obstacles and fighting against all odds is just one of many girls taking charge of their lives. With Sahar’s work already, 200,000 girls have been educated to date. These girls are changing their communities, and giving girls and young women the opportunities that everyone deserves. With this new boarding school, Sahar and Miller Hull are not only breaking ground architecturally: “When people drive by, they see a physical structure full of beauty,” says Ginna. “But also the power to change what can be done in Afghanistan.”

“Building partnerships is critical,” says Dave Miller. “The more we can do it in a peaceful way, the better we can do in the world.” Partnerships, like the one between Sahar and Miller Hull, allow for positive change in the world, and create opportunities for those who need them most. Through collaboration across cultural, ethnic, and occupational lines, the future can be made hopeful for every human. GlobalWA is an organization that highlights the power of working together, we are grateful for the opportunity to co-host this event. Also, thank you to Miller Hull Partnership for devoting time to a brighter tomorrow for Afghanistan’s young women.

Full video of the event here.
Recap video of event here.

-Charlotte Gong, Sahar Intern

 

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FREE Sahar co-hosted event on Friday, September 14th 2018!

How does Design and the Built Environment impact Global Education?
Presented by: Sahar Education + Miller Hull Partnership

Friday, September 14th 2018
5:30PM – 8:00PM

Center for Architecture and Design
1010 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104

FREE, please RSVP HERE.

Practitioners in the fields of architecture, design, non profits, and the University of Washington will join together in a panel that explores the intersections of international development and architecture/design to improve access to education in challenged populations around the world.

 

Design in Public’s flagship program, the Seattle Design Festival (SDF) was founded in 2011 to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle, and to nurture relationships among designers, citizens, city leaders, and future-thinking business innovators. Now in its 8th year, SDF is the largest design-related event in the Pacific Northwest, gathering 120+ partners and over 30,000 attendees to 80+ citywide events each September.

2018 is the year of TRUST. From September 6-21, the Seattle Design Festival will connect designers, community members and civic leaders to explore how we design for TRUST.

More information here: https://www.designinpublic.org/

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