COVID-19 Response: Help Afghan Girls and Families

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your support of Sahar Education! The communities of northern Afghanistan’s Balkh Province are better prepared to respond to COVID-19 because of your generosity.

Before the pandemic began, 52% of Afghanistan's population was living in poverty and 45% was food insecure according to the Afghan Government. COVID-19 brought high levels of unemployment to the country, coupled with an already weak healthcare system and the inaccessibility of health services to rural communities. Afghanistan's Ministry of Education closed all schools in March and experts predict the long-term negative impact on the education of many children, especially young girls. After six months of school closures, many girls will have difficulty returning to school because of the financial situations of their families. With a lack of income because of the pandemic, families may send young girls to work or choose to marry them off early to support their economic situation. 

Sahar has responded to COVID-19 in a variety of ways. First, the teachers in our Early Marriage Prevention Program worked from home while continuing to keep in touch with our students through WhatsApp groups. Through these groups, EMPP teachers posted their lectures online, gave assignments, and spoke with students. Virtual lessons have been a great mechanism for students to keep learning, cope with stress through yoga and meditation lessons, and stay informed about how to stay healthy in response to COVID-19. Sahar also distributed booklets to households in the community to educate families about best practices for preventative health. These booklets were in local languages, including Dari and Pashto, and had picture illustrations to accommodate high levels of illiteracy. Also, we distributed care packages with face masks, hand sanitizer, and soap to local families. To support the community, the contents of the care packages were sourced from local female-owned businesses. 

The Ministry of Education reopened schools on August 24, 2020, which means Sahar will be working with local communities to help get girls back in school while keeping their health and safety a priority. Sahar’s work and your support of our programs are even more critical to the communities we serve in the light of the challenging circumstances of COVID-19. Together, we will continue:

• educating over 25,000 girls in Sahar-built schools each year
• teaching digital literacy to over 4,000 girls in our computer centers 
• training teachers as part of our Teacher Training Center (from which 160 women have already graduated)
• accompanying men in gender allyship through our Men as Partners in Change program
• building a boarding school for 265 rural girls to continue their education
• providing soap, face masks, hand sanitizer, and other COVID-19 necessities to communities in need

We could not respond to COVID-19 in the communities of Mazar-i-Sharif without you. Thank you for your support and for making a difference in the lives of Afghan girls. 

Gratefully yours, 

Ginna