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.
We have exciting news! We have the opportunity to receive a $15,0000 matching grant fromOne Day’s Wages for our Early Marriage Prevention Program! Donate today to double your impact and help us reach our fundraising goal!
In Afghanistan 34% of women currently 20-24 years old were married before the age of 18. This means that 34% of young women in Afghanistan were torn away from their education too soon, an opportunity we in the United States take for granted. Human rights and especially women’s rights are under siege across borders. Preventing childhood marriage stems the tide of gender violence and increases girls education for countless girls globally.
Four years ago, Sahar took a leap and designed and implemented the first in class Early Marriage Prevention Program. The goal of this program is simple: to keep girls in school and out of marriage. All over the world, women and allies must fight to ensure that every girl has the opportunity for education.
Join our Afghan and US team today and donate to our match opportunity by clicking on the link below. Every dollar you give will be matched and helps ensure our program to prevent early marriage continues to deliver life saving curriculums in Northern Afghanistan.
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.
GiveBIG 2019 is May 8th– and Sahar needs YOUR help!
GiveBIG is a one-day online giving event to raise funds for nonprofit organizations in Greater Seattle. It’s the opportunity for us all to come together and make the world a better place.
This year, we’ve set our goal to fundraise $3,500 to support education for girls in Afghanistan. Please help us reach our goal by donating $50.00 or more on our GiveBIG page, and by asking your family and friends to donate too!
Hear from Fresta, one of the instructors of our successful Early Marriage Prevention Program on the importance of empowering girls in Afghanistan through education: “I am faced with powerful and brilliant girls who have big ambitions. However, they do not know how to problem-solve the issues they confront. Now they are learning to meet the challenges in their life– they keep defending their rights and fighting for gender equality. Working with EMPP girls makes me feel great.”
Is it you? Sahar Board Members will have the privilege of working collaboratively with our US and Afghan team, creating programs and building schools that truly change lives. The board provides strategic direction and oversight to our well-established non-profit, ensuring we are the best stewards possible for our supporters and the people of Afghanistan.
If you or someone you know:
Is passionate about access to education and is excited about creating opportunities for girls, women, and families in Afghanistan.
Communicates well and are able to build awareness of Sahar
Wants to be a part of a dynamic board and have the time and energy to spend 5-8 hours a month doing board work
Is interested in building partnerships for Sahar to expand its local and global network.
Interested in joining us? Sahar is seeking to bring on new board members to serve three-year terms beginning September 2019. Please email [email protected]with any questions and to receive the short online application. Interested candidates must complete an application by June 10, 2019, and will be interviewed by our recruiting team.
Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Afghanistan has made significant progress in women’s rights and education. The findings of The Survey reflect that progress in the opinions of Afghan citizens. However, The Survey also speaks to how far the country has to go to ensure women’s equality and access to education: most people surveyed do not support women working outside of the home, equal opportunity for girls and women in education, or the right for a women to decide who to vote for for herself.
And yet, according to this survey, people’s opinions are changing. Baad and badaal practices (traditional practices connected to forced and early marriage) are at their lowest approval rating ever. More women report contributing to their household income than in previous years. And despite serious threats of violence, 38% of females voted in the most recent presidential election.
Afghanistan may have a long way to go to achieve gender equality generally and in education, but progress has been made and progress will continue. Sahar’s programs, such as Early Marriage Prevention, digital literacy, and female teacher training, are perfect examples of this progress. The girls we serve crave these programs and as we grow in response, the community’s acceptance of our programs and girls’ empowerment grows as well.
We are proud to do this work. Thank you for your support in educating the future women of Afghanistan!
You can change the life of a girl and her community.
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.
