Scholarships for At-risk Youth in Afghanistan

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued support of Bamyan Foundation. We’re excited to share with you the updates and progress with the children at the Baba, Marefat, ROYA and Rahnaward schools.

This quarter, Nik, a 11th year student at Marefat, shared his hopes and plans for a successful future. His father and elder brother are both illiterate, making Nik the first in his family to pursue education. Thus far, he has found ways to pay for his education himself as his family already faces immense financial struggles. He has focused on improving his English and Computer skills, and eventually wants to earn his MBA. Although Nik has been able to find ways to pay for his education, recently he has faced his own financial hurdles and risks having to drop out. With support of your generous donations, students like Nik can finish their degrees without the worry and stress of figuring out how they will pay for it.

We’d also like to introduce you to Zahra, who has been attending Marefat since 1st grade and is now in 10th grade. Her grades have always been above 95% and she hopes to continue this success until she completes her studies. She’s hoping to gain admission to a program this winter that will help her improve her language skills in hopes that it will open the doors to studying internationally in the future. Zahra has a determined attitude and is extremely motivated for success. The support of people like yourself has allowed her to achieve her goals thus far and is helping her accelerate her skills and will allow her to achieve even greater opportunities!

At Rahnaward, we’d like to share the story of Hamida Hasanzadam who is currently at Grade 10 at Rahnaward-e Noor High School in Lal-va- Sarijangal district in central province of Ghor. Hamida walks one hour and a half every morning to school. Rather than feeling tired after this long commute, she feels energized and motivated when she arrives. She loves learning, especially biology, chemistry, English and math.She eventually wants to attend medical school and become a doctor. Hamida believes that this will enable her to help poor people in the surrounding villages. Growing up with sick parents with limited access to medical care, she wants to ensure that others have access to health services they desperately need.

We hope that these stories will inspire you just as much as they’ve inspired us. The students supported by the Bamyan Foundation have all faced obstacles and challenges, both personal and financial, in pursuing their education. With the encouragement of donors like yourselves, they’ve been able to achieve their goals and reach milestones that were otherwise unattainable.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Bamyan Foundation