COVID-19 Response: Help Afghan Girls and Families

Dear Friend of Sahar,

Thank you for your support of Sahar Education during these challenging times. Your contributions are especially important as we work with Afghan communities to respond to COVID-19.

In November, Afghanistan’s Minister of Health announced that a second wave of COVID-19 had begun to spread due to cold weather. In Balkh Province where we work, the majority of people who have tested positive are living in home isolation. Promoting mask-wearing and social distancing remains key to decreasing infections and ensuring the ability of local hospitals to respond to severe cases. Despite increased rates of infection, public schools are still open and students continue to receive in-person classes. Given that our programs take place within these schools, our priority is to ensure the safety and security of both students and teachers. 

With your generous contributions, we’ve been able to maintain COVID-19 compliant learning environments by providing masks, hand sanitizer, and requiring students to pass temperature checks before coming into the classroom. We’ve also worked hard to reduce the number of students within each room and ensure they remain socially distant from one another. With these measures in place, we’ve been able to continue our programs and expand our impact in the community. Zaitona, one of our recent Early Marriage Prevention graduates, says Sahar has taught her “...that every small step in life has its own challenges and consequences...we should not give up on anything. We should struggle and become strong to overcome our challenges.” 

COVID-19 has been an immense challenge for Sahar and the communities with which we work but, thanks to your support, we’re able to continue the fight for girls’ education and gender equity in Afghanistan. Because of your gifts girls like Zaitona receive life-changing education even amidst a pandemic.

We are incredibly grateful to have you on this journey with us. 

Kindest wishes, 

Ginna Brelsford