Seattle group launches secret schools for Afghan girls under Taliban rule by Nina Shapiro shared our story with the Greater Seattle area and the world on December 25th, 2023.
When the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan in 2021, Seattle-based Sahar found its mission completely undermined.
For almost 20 years, the nonprofit had worked to educate Afghan girls, denied education under the first Taliban regime in the 1990s. Sahar repaired schools and built new ones, which it turned over to Afghanistan’s education ministry to run.
The organization’s showcase was a school for 3,000 girls in northern Afghanistan, designed by the prestigious Seattle firm Miller Hull in collaboration with the University of Washington’s architecture department. The nonprofit had also broken ground on what was to be the country’s first public boarding school, also designed by Miller Hull and intended for rural girls who had to walk miles to school — risking kidnapping and attacks as Taliban traditionalists waged their insurgency.
Threads of Hope is a literacy and sewing project designed for underprivileged and economically disadvantaged girls and women aged 18-40 who have not had the opportunity to get a formal education. The program provides participants with free-of-cost literacy, and sewing skills classes. Additionally, graduates are gifted their sewing machine upon completion of the course.
Our partner is integrating Sahar Education’s Women’s Empowerment and Health Workshops in the literacy class to educate participants about important topics such as mental health, early marriage prevention, and planned parenthood, and support them in their journey of self-empowerment.
Besides learning how to read and write, the program aims to provide participants with the opportunity to gain skills that will lead them to become financially independent. Additionally, the program provides women with a safe space to come together and form a sense of community and belonging.
The first round of this program in Kabul, Afghanistan has 40 women enrolled and began in November 2023.
In October, 20 girls graduated from the second round of the Stealth Sisters program. These girls celebrated their commencement like any other graduates- albeit in secret. The girls in this program are part of the 2.5 million girls forcibly barred from attending school by the Taliban. However, they have not let the situation in Afghanistan deter them. Thanks to your support, these girls learned English, computer skills, and women’s empowerment curricula. As they graduated, they had different plans for their futures but none of these 20 students would let their talents go to waste.
Some will start their home-based schools educating girls in their community about their rights, women’s health topics, mental health, the effects of child marriage, and more important topics. Others will start jobs working in medical offices or teaching online. A number of them will even use their newfound computer skills to apply for programs taking them outside Afghanistan for the first time. Although the Taliban has endeavored to squash the hope out of every girl and woman in the country, these 20 girls have found something worth fighting for.
Round Three Began November 2023
And, in November a new 20 students enrolled in the third round of the Stealth Sisters program. These students entered this underground school to make a difference in their own lives and their communities. Each of these girls is a rebel, fighting to learn and to dream whilst the Taliban works to keep all women locked in the darkness of oppression.
Want to sponsor a Stealth Sister?
Now through January 1st, every donation to the Stealth Sisters Program qualifies for 50% matching! Sponsor a girl for only $165 thanks to matching! Every dollar counts!
As another year comes to a close under Taliban rule in Afghanistan girls are losing hope for the future they were promised. Radio Free Europe reported on the dire situation on December 8th, 2023:
‘Hundreds of thousands of sixth-grade girls in Afghanistan attended the last day of the school year, many with tears in their eyes as they face an uncertain future because of Taliban policies that forbid them from further schooling and restrict their basic human rights.’
Imagine graduating 6th grade only to face the brutal reality of forced marriage, domestic servitude, or extreme poverty. This is the reality for those girls. Without continued education they will not be eligible for the few jobs open to women and their families will face hard decisions.
Under the current regime, the people are facing appalling conditions with little help from the defacto government or the international community leading to record dissatisfaction by the Afghan public.
‘The Taliban’s policies are deeply unpopular among most Afghans. Even though dissent is often met with a harsh response by authorities, some people are still willing to criticize the government because the policies are seen as destructive.
In the Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing “gender apartheid” by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.’
Furthermore, although girls’ education and the freedoms of women have been severely stilted there have also been damaging changes made to the education system affecting boys.
A report titled Schools Are Failing Boys Too, from Human Rights Watch, is quoted in the article as saying
‘curriculum changes, the firing of female teachers, corporal punishment, and other practices risk their education over the longer term as well.
Sahar Fetrat, a women’s rights researcher at HRW and the author of the report says the Taliban has caused “irreversible damage” to the education of both Afghan boys and girls.
“By harming the whole school system in the country, they risk creating a lost generation deprived of a quality education,” she said.’
With the fate of 40 million people hanging in the balance, we can only hope the international community will step up to pressure the Taliban into reversing these abhorrent policies. In the meantime, secret schools are among the few avenues open to girls who have aged out of the education system.
Sahar offers underground programs to girls and women who are excluded from school in Afghanistan. In our programs, girls learn English, computer skills, coding, women’s health and mental health topics, tailoring, literacy, and women’s empowerment skills.
We also offer a program for boys and young men that focuses on how men can support women in their fight for equality, how families are more functional with a partnership between the parents, how domestic violence and early marriage are wrong, and more important topics that we need the youth of Afghanistan to learn if we expect anyone ever to stand up and stop this oppressive regime.
A graduate of the second 2023 Stealth Sisters program shares her thoughts
In October, 20 more girls graduated from the second round of our Stealth Sisters program. Even more girls are learning through our Underground TechSheroes program, also in its second round. And, the first rounds of our adapted Men as Partners in Change and Threads of Hope programs are underway as the year comes to a close.
Thank you for your generous support of Sahar Education as we continue to evolve in pursuit of our mission. I am writing you to invite you to join our online auction now through December 15th! There are a few items that arrived too late for our A Night In Afghanistan event and a couple of new offerings as well. All proceeds go to further our education programs for Afghan girls.
Please note, bids are placed through the website but there is no credit card required to bid. Winners will have the option to pay by check or card via Sahar’s regular donation methods. Just ensure to input an email address when you bid so we can reach you if you win. Good luck!
November is a time for thanks, so thank you for supporting girls’ education!
Last month, your support made a difference in the lives of Afghan girls! Thank you to all who donated, attended, and sponsored the annual benefit, A Night In Afghanistan. The event was a success with a packed crowd, delicious food, and raising more than twice our goal!
With your generous help, we exceeded our goal of $20,000; raising $45571.77! We appreciate your fundraising efforts and recognize that we could not have reached our goal without the unwavering support of our board, friends, and you. The amount raised is enough to educate 15 girls across 12 months.
The funds raised will go to help expand the Stealth Sisters and Underground TechSheroes program, including adding a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to the team.
Program Updates
Men As Partners In Change
On Sep 17, 2023, the MPC and English Language course began for 45 school students in grades 9 to 12. Students in this program are learning English language skills alongside topics important to the success of the community and families. In September, the MPC students learned about Fatherhood and Caregiving.
The first month of classes delved into important topics that are central to the program.
To highlight the importance of fathers’ role in caregiving,
To take part actively as a future father in children caregiving,
To identify fathers’ responsibilities not only outside the house but inside as well,
Promote gender equality among children,
Share parenting responsibilities between mothers and fathers,
To enhance family dynamics,
Improve children’s development by involving fathers in their life and caregiving.
A few quotes from students of the course help us understand how this program is opening their eyes to the flaws in the current system.
Mohammad R., one of the 10th-grade students said, “Before, I believed that the core responsibility of a father is supporting his family financially.” He added, “Now, I realize that it is not only restricted to the father of a family but mothers also can work and support their families financially.”
Mohammad H., one of the 12th grade students said, “Since I know myself, I was told that mothers should take care of their children, cook and clean. No one told me that fathers also can take part in cleaning the house, cooking, and taking care of their children.” He added more, “Now I can imagine how it will be more beautiful if both mothers and fathers share their responsibilities in the house.”
Upcoming Events
As the year comes to a close, there are still opportunities to support Afghan girls!
SAFER WORLD FUND MATCHING CAMPAIGN 2023
This campaign through Global Giving continues through January 1st, 2024, and provides 50% matching for donations up to $1000 to the Stealth Sisters or Underground TechSheroes programs! Donate Today!
Zoom Round Table with the Team
Sahar Education is excited to share another opportunity for supporters from across the globe to join a Zoom Round Table and learn more about our programs, challenges, and opportunities to help. Join us on November 21, 2023, for a 1-hour Zoom session! Register Today!
Giving Tuesday
Donations up to $2500 through Global Giving on November 28th are eligible for incentive funds! All donations will be eligible for additional support with the most released to the largest fundraisers!
End-of-Year Auction
This December bid on donated treasures, event tickets, and delicious restaurant meals in support of Sahar Education! Watch out for the link to bid!
Get to Know Afghanistan
The Afghan people celebrate the victories of their Cricket team as one of the only bits of happiness they can share as a community. The New York Times reported on the unlikely heroes of the Afghan people.
“The national flag they play under no longer exists officially. The anthem they stand for at the beginning of every game belongs to a republic that was toppled two years ago.
Yet Afghanistan’s athletes have become the unlikely — and widely celebrated — heroes of the Cricket World Cup that is underway in India. In a tournament followed by hundreds of millions of people across the globe, they have defeated the defending world champions and two former titleholders handily. Some of the team’s stars are so popular that entire stadium sections roar their name.” The article reports that the wild popularity of the team was unprecedented.
Refugees and stranded Afghan students support the team from the stands, flying the flag that represents their home country.
The article shares insights from the players and another reason why they are seen as the hope of Afghanistan in this trying time. Players speak out against the education ban and support earthquake relief for their countrymen.
“We stand in solidarity with our sisters and daughters of Afghanistan in demanding that the decision on high school ban for girls and university ban for women be reversed,” Mr. Khan said in a statement last year. “Every day of education wasted is a day wasted from the future of the country.”
“When the team defeated Pakistan two weeks ago, the celebrations were particularly long and loud. There was also a political undertone: In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have been forced out by Pakistan, whose military has long been seen as contributing to the instability in Afghanistan.”
As noted by the article and the players, the team is helping Afghans to have pride in something and to smile and celebrate when all else is bleak at home. The Taliban has outlawed dancing and the black, red, and green flag is no longer the symbol of the country but this is overlooked as supporters dance in the streets after the team wins. A brief respite from the harsh conditions the entire country is under is needed for hope to continue to blossom.
