AFGHAN FEMALE STUDENT OUTREACH

February 9, 2024

Dear friends of AFSO,

As the days grow slowly longer, our classes are in full swing. More than 150 students from all over Afghanistan are taking one or more of our 22 seminars, and we welcome the many new professors who have joined what is now a solid worldwide cohort.

The situation for women in Afghanistan, unfortunately, is worsening. Many of you have heard about the arrests of girls and women for not wearing "proper hijab." Schools remain closed to girls and women beyond 6th grade, and the simple right to be outside enjoying the arrival of spring has been withdrawn from millions of women. Our students are understandably nervous, but to their enormous credit, they remain focused on the path forward to their academic and professional future. Our student Ramzia shared these words with her fellow students at the orientation last month:

Have you ever been in a situation where everything fell apart at the last moment? Following the entry of the Taliban in early May 2021, all of Afghanistan was filled with fear and terror, and all sectors of society were affected, especially Afghan women and girls who had many aspirations and had made great efforts to achieve them. I was one of those girls whose dreams were shattered. The entry of the Taliban caused me to be unable to finish my last year at university, I lost my job, and I couldn't fully study English. I think anyone in my place would have the right to feel depressed. During this time, I felt like I had reached the end of the line, both physically and mentally. I even contemplated suicide multiple times because everything seemed to be over for me. However, God was very kind to me and placed an organization in my path that helped me regain all my lost hopes and try again to achieve my goals. Yes, AFSO helped me and many other girls like me escape from this bad situation. It provided us with the opportunity for re-education and helped me regain my lost spirit, even encouraging me to pursue my goals more strongly. The caring and compassionate teachers sympathized with us in such difficult circumstances and encouraged us on this path. The new experiences we gained led to great progress in this field for us. With the help of AFSO, I and my fellow students were able to elevate our level of knowledge. Many of my friends were able to take the Duolingo exam and alongside that, I obtained admissions from many universities. This organization enabled me to secure a scholarship from a university in Portugal, and I am indebted to AFSO and its caring professors for this. With the help of good teachers, I was able to write an article about the situation of women in Afghanistan, and I hope to publish this article globally. Like me, many girls have achieved great success that would have been impossible under the current conditions in the country. AFSO is like a mother who takes care of her children under very difficult circumstances. I cannot find words to describe this organization, and I am grateful to all those involved in this organization for supporting us.

We hope all newsletter subscribers will save the date of Sunday, April 14, at noon EST, to meet some of our amazing students online and talk more about their challenges and the opportunities we are opening up for them. We continue to strengthen our bonds with institutions like the Open Society University Network, the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund, the American University of Afghanistan, the Asian University for Women, Education for Humanity, and NYU at Abu Dhabi. With the help of such programs, we're slowly able to provide our students with the tools they need to forget their future.

Needless to say, all this effort requires support. The need for data packages has ballooned. We now (at last) have a registration system for students, at significant cost. Subscriptions to our English learning platform have tripled. We hope you will continue to give what you can to help our amazing, resourceful students. Afghan women's lives matter!

Best to all,

Lucy

President of the Board, AFSO

 

Afghan Female Student Outreach