Scholarships for AFSO Scholars
December 23, 2024
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to announce that two of our students, Deba A. and Fareshta H., have earned a full scholarship, organized by the prestigious Raoul Wallenberg Institute, to earn a Master of Laws degree at the Universitas Islam in Indonesia. This achievement is due mostly to Fareshta and Deba's hard work, but also to the network of relationships that AFSO is building around the world. Especially as prospects dim for Afghan women coming to the United States, we are strengthening these relationships to find opportunities for our students at institutions of higher education in other countries.
Education within Afghanistan has suffered another blow, as you may have heard, with the closure of medical and midwifery colleges for women. A number of these students are among the 3,200 applying to join our current student body. We are accommodating as many as we can. We are also working with our partners at the Alliance for the Education of Women in Afghanistan to develop standards for online programs so that, eventually, we can accept a variety of certifications in place of the high school diploma that has now been out of reach for Afghan girls since 2021.
It's a busy season, but let's pause for a moment and consider our impact:
- 500+ students in Afghanistan, ranging from high school graduates to grad-school applicants, studying English and university content through AFSO classes, at only $37/month per student
- A volunteer teaching force of 95 professors from universities around the world and 65 teaching assistants from the U.S. and U.K.
- Students passing TOEFL and Duolingo tests and receiving scholarships and admission opportunities at campuses in Indonesia, Qatar, Oman, Kyrgystan, Bangladesh, Canada, and the United States.
Those of you who have subscribed to this newsletter since summer 2023, when we were 9 professors and 100 students with no clear mission other than helping, may appreciate the speed of this growth.
But speed is of the essence, because too many of our students tell us that if they cannot scale up their English proficiency, writing capabilities, and other skills needed to succeed in higher education in Afghanistan, they will be reduced to accepting an unwanted marriage proposal or returning to a remote village where they cannot access any education at all. Their spirit remains unvanquished. Our student Madina, married off at 14 to a man her father's age, determined to complete her education, studied writing this year with AFSO and won first prize in the international Amplify Afghan Women competition with an essay about her daughter: I will become the wings for this wingless angel, Madina writes in her essay. I will make her aware of all her rights. Those who consider a single strand of her hair a sin, I will care for my daughter's hair so much that with those very strands, I will bind those ignorant men. My daughter will be a beacon of hope for the girls and women of my country.
Our last matching opportunity for the year, with The Greater Sum, which has awarded AFSO a grant and a great deal of training in nonprofit management, ends on December 31, but we are delighted to reported that we have already met our goal and will receive $5,000 in matching funds. The work goes on. We are increasing our student body this spring by half, which will mean an additional $50,000 in the cost of data for these determined young women to attend our classes in 2025. We hope you'll dig deep and donate. Every tax-deductible gift will go toward enlarging our curriculum, guiding our students on college applications, and sending the precious data packages they need to access education and their future. For a glimpse of what a difference this makes, take a look at the short feature on AFSO presented by NBC Connecticut.
With best wishes for the new year,
