Education for Afghan women...
. . . is a necessity for their survival. A soldier's biggest support is his weapon. For Afghan women, education is the weapon that is going to save our lives."
-- Sadia G., AFSO student
Afghan Female Student Outreach (AFSO) offers synchronous classes in English and university subjects to qualified women in Afghanistan. We help build a pathway for students to complete their education and forge their future.
"I am really happy that I was a student in this program. I know a lot of things that are very useful for me. I didn't believe foreign people would help me because until now no one helped me. I cannot describe my feeling in two lines. Also, you were volunteers. Thank you all for serving us and everything that you are doing for us. AFSO is like a mother to her students."
INTRODUCING THE FAIRFIELD SCHOLARS
Thanks to a generous and energetic group of students led by Maryam Gharmal at Fairfield University in Connecticut, 10 AFSO students have been named "Fairfield Scholars." It costs $37 per month to educate a woman at AFSO. Fairfield's PAGEA group raised funds to support 10 students over the course of a year and will be in touch with these students throughout their journey. Congratulations to these hardworking students on both sides of the world!
AFSO in the News
Banned from school by the Taliban, Afghan women fear that President Donald Trump's suspension of foreign assistance will deny them a last chance at an education. . . . Afghan Female Student Outreach, a volunteer nonprofit group, has relied on private donations and is one of the few remaining providers of online education.
"Because they can't go to work, they can't go to parks and other places alone … it makes them hopeful for a brighter future because they are getting college credits from prestigious universities and good professors."
"I will never forget the first day I saw professor Ferriss on my phone screen," one student told NBC Connecticut. "Tears streamed down my face."
From the Springfield Republican
It's not just about learning computer code or another skill. It's about lifting others up and creating a more inclusive and empowering environment for all women in my community.
My daughter will be a beacon of hope for the girls and women of my country. She will have the rights that were taken from me or from other girls in our land. [Read the rest on our Events page.]
AFSO is offering a pathway for students to improve their English, writing, and critical thinking skills to the point where they are prepared to face the challenge of obtaining admission to respected universities and programs in their field outside Afghanistan.
We began the way children are sometimes taught to swim: We threw ourselves into the water of the emergency that was the plight of Afghan women barred from education. The suicide rate among these women, we knew, had been skyrocketing. Depression was rampant. We were college professors, and thousands of these women were — had been — college students. We felt a particular call to help.
What I didn't really anticipate was the beautiful writing, the fierce commitment of this group of 12 students, the acute insight of these short descriptive pieces, and the sense of connection I feel to each of them.
I really appreciate each and every person who take the efforts for Afghan women and girls. From all the professors who spend their time at our disposal so that we can learn. And we know that you make every effort to educate us. And we will not disappoint you with our efforts. -- Shilla R., AFSO student, medical student
I think the most important experience that I've had in this semester was constancy, the constancy of the AFSO group for helping us Afghan girls. -- Fayezah M., AFSO student, engineering student
I want other girls of my country to experience what I experienced with AFSO. -- Nadia A., AFSO student, literature student