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Virtual Round Table

If you joined us last night, we hope you enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about our programs and mission and we welcome you to get involved in education for Afghan girls! We recorded the event for anyone who wasn’t able to join us last night and you can find the video below. 

November 21st, 2023 Virtual Round Table

Your dedication to the cause is greatly appreciated as we continue to fight for girls’ education in Afghanistan!

Many of you asked how you can get involved and we are happy that you want to take a stand for women! Below are some important ways you can make a difference for Afghan women and girls. 

Raise Awareness

You can find resources to support Afghan people in this time of crisis on our website. You can also sign up for our newsletter and follow our social media presence via the website. Sharing and commenting/liking our social posts is a free and easy way to raise awareness.

Volunteer

If you are interested in using your skills or connections to help Sahar Education you can volunteer or apply to join the Board of Directors. Email [email protected] to learn about these opportunities. 

Donate

There are millions of girls out of school due to the Taliban’s ban on secondary education and we cannot serve them all. However, our programs create a ripple effect that changes lives and communities! Your financial support can ensure these programs continue as long as they are needed. There are multiple ways to donate.

Give with matching through GlobalGiving through January 1st! All donations (up to $1000 per donor) to the two projects listed here will receive 50% matching through the Safer World Fund. Monthly donations are also eligible for additional matching! 

Defy the Taliban, Coding Classes for Afghan Girls

Empower an Afghan Girl to Find Her Voice

Keep in mind the #GivingTuesday campaign on November 28th will supply even more matching funds to every donation through GlobalGiving on that day!

You can also send a check if you prefer, or explore additional ways to give on SaharEducation.org.

Sahar Education
PO Box 17672, Seattle, WA 98127

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Thank you for your dedication to girls’ education! We can’t do this important work without you!

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Position Announcement

Monitoring & Evaluation Officer.

Sahar is seeking Remote Monitoring and Evaluation Officer candidates whose passion and commitment to our mission are evident. The Remote Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will be responsible for planning, implementing, and managing the monitoring and evaluation
activities of Sahar Education. This role involves the collection, analysis, and reporting of data related to the organization’s programs and projects, intending to improve program effectiveness and impact.


The M&E Officer will work closely with the Programs Manager, the Programs Committee, and partners to ensure that data is accurately collected and utilized for informed decision-making.

Interested candidates should submit their resumes, cover letters, and three
professional references. Please include “Remote M&E Officer Application” in the subject line of the email.

Sahar Education is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. The candidate must be based in Mazar-i-Sharif and able to travel to Kabul as needed. Please note, that due to the sensitive nature of our programs, only female candidates are requested at this time.

Ammended Deadline: November 30, 2023

2023-Position-Announcement-ME-officerDownload
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Education Improves Equity for Afghan Girls

Girls in Sahar's Underground TechSheroes course learn about women's empowerment topics
Underground TechSheroes

Currently, 19.4 million women and girls (49.5% of Afghanistan’s population) in Afghanistan are banned from pursuing education, working outside, traveling, and attending public places. The fall of the government in Afghanistan in August 2021 shifted the trajectory for millions of girls in Afghanistan. 

A student taking a test in our Underground TechSheroes program.

When the Taliban took over the government in Afghanistan in 1996, they immediately targeted women’s rights by banning universities for women, forcing them to quit their jobs, restricting access to healthcare for women, setting a brutal dress code, and limiting their ability to move freely in the city. These rules not only resulted in a generation of illiterate women in Afghanistan, but also an increase in forced marriages, child marriages, and domestic violence. In fact, many families sent their daughters to countries like Pakistan and Iran to protect them.

After the Taliban were replaced with a US-backed government in 2001, Afghan women made incredible advancements in different areas including a 27% share in parliament and being part of the Afghan military and police. Despite the advancements, Afghan women still lagged behind Afghan men as more work was needed to attain gender equality. With the Taliban returning to power in 2021, Afghan women went two decades back in the span of one day. 

Making progress is difficult for a country when it is deprived of the contribution of half of its society. When girls are educated, they are less likely to be exploited, abused, face discrimination, go through child marriages, and die in childbirth. Education empowers girls to make their own decisions, raise better-nourished children, contribute to the economy, invest in their community, be active politically, and change the world.

Students practice coding skills in our Underground TechSheroes program

As a nonprofit organization, Sahar Education believes in the power of education for girls and works to empower Afghan women through programs such as Stealth Sisters- English, IT, Women’s Empowerment, Underground TechSheroes- IT & Coding, and Threads of Hope- sewing. These not only help girls and women learn essential skills but prepare them for life-changing opportunities, becoming financially independent individuals and sources of change in their communities.

Please join Sahar in supporting education for all Afghan women and girls as a means of improving the trajectory of the country and the future of each girl. You can get involved by volunteering, donating, or sharing our mission with your friends. 

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Our 2020-2021 Impact Report!

We are thrilled to announce the publication of the Sahar 2020-2021 Impact Report! We all have a role to play in gender equality, and since our inception in 2001, Sahar staff, supporters, and volunteers have been dedicated to the empowerment of girls, their families, and communities through education. The last year has been another fantastic period of growth and achievement, as we evaluated our existing projects and added a revolutionary Men as Partners in Change Program, to understand what truly works best as well as seeking to expand our reach even further.

Sahar is committed to continue our work in Afghanistan, despite the uncertainty of the times. Our work on the ground continues to be led by Afghan women and responsive to the needs of the community. We hope that you’ll enjoy 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.

SaharImpactReport2020-2021

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Welcome Sapida, Sahar’s Newest Afghan Fellow!

Sahar Welcomes Sapida as the 2019-2020 Sahar Afghan Fellow!

Sapida graduated from Montclair State University in May 2019 with a double major in Political Science and Law and Jurisprudence and a minor in Public Administration. She was awarded the Dean’s List and has done two independent research projects under her department faculty supervision. 

Sapida visited her family every summer during her bachelor’s degree. In the summers of 2016 and 2018, she worked with Sahar in Afghanistan. She has worked on the Early Marriage Prevention Program, Teacher Training Center, and Digital Literacy Classes. She is aware of the issues women and children face in the city and rural areas.

Sapida likes photography, hiking, whitewater rafting, dancing, and reading in her free time. She also likes to volunteer in her community for social causes and in development projects. She is an advocate of women and children’s rights and devotes her time to it.

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Education as the Counterbalance to War and Despair

Education as the Counterbalance to War and Despair: by Executive Director Ginna Brelsford and Afghan Fellow Shogofa Amini

You’ve no doubt heard and read about the US negotiations with the Taliban and wondered how, if at all, Sahar’s programs in Afghanistan are affected. The immediate answer is not at all. Our all Afghan team continues to do an incredible job working in our programs.

We are not naive about the challenges ahead. If and when the US troops depart, we have a talented Afghan team that will stay and continue our programs. Our strength is our Afghan staff. They are committed to Sahar’s goals and are here to stay.

Our team believes that the Afghan people are eager to learn and take responsibility in their communities. After serving over 250,000 girls in Afghanistan over 18 years, Sahar has restored the paths to education that the Taliban stole. This new generation of women is educated about their rights and deserves to take these ideas into the future.

If Afghanistan is to have a future of peace and prosperity, women must be included in peace and policy making. This can only happen if women are educated. We will continue to work with community and religious leaders, girls in school, teachers, and parents to heal decades of emotional trauma. We educate girls about their rights and communities about the value of girls and educated and empowered women.

Sahar is in Afghanistan to stay. Our next step to expand education throughout Afghan communities is to build the first ever all-girls public boarding school in Afghanistan. The boarding school will provide opportunities for rural girls who have limited access to education, girls who have to study under tents in extreme weather conditions and who become discouraged because of these conditions. Our new boarding school will allow disadvantaged girls to grow academically and build their leadership skills in a beautiful, safe, and encouraging environment.

We must give girls opportunity today for they are the leaders of the future of Afghanistan. Sahar knows this firsthand from educating 23,000 girls every year. Ask yourself: what is your hope for girls of Afghanistan and what can you do to contribute to that hopeful vision?

Join Sahar in continuing to educate Afghan girls. Donate today.

Image rendering of the library in the boarding school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. $1 US Dollar has 50 times the value in Afghanistan.

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