Our students work hard every day to succeed at school and make their communities a better place. So we were excited – but not surprised – to see 12th grade Kabul students publish a magazine about women’s rights, all on their own. “We published this magazine because women are victims of violence and we want… READ MORE
On March 21st, we celebrated Nowruz, Afghanistan’s New Year and the first day of spring. Nowruz, which means “new day” in Dari, is a two-week long celebration filled with feasts, cleaning house, and planting trees. Spring is a symbol of rebirth and new opportunities all over the world, including Afghanistan. As part of a longstanding… READ MORE
In December, 40 of AAE’s Kabul students took a field trip to Bagh-e-Babur in Kabul. Bagh-e-Babur, or the Gardens of Babur, is a historic park and the final resting-place of the first Mughal emperor, Babur. It was built sometime around the year 1528 AD (935 AH). Bagh-e-Babur is a popular tourist attraction and many people… READ MORE
Salma’s husband was killed in a suicide bombing. Najia’s uncle trapped her in the house starting from a young age, forbidding her from going to school. Considering the years of war that have wracked Afghanistan, it’s sad but not surprising that just about every woman and girl has experienced more than one type of violence… READ MORE
by Miranda Cleland Freshtah is not a typical sixth-grade student. She is a 27-year-old Afghan woman, once a child bride who lost an eye to an abusive husband who later abandoned her. Freshtah’s story is rare, not because of her difficult past, but because she is now going to school. Nearly every woman in Afghanistan… READ MORE
By Kathryn Novelli The sounds of strings and chirping birds captivates VCU’s ballroom. The screen displays sweeping panoramic views of Afghan mountains as the sun illuminates the clouds, then a town, then the people in it. A little boy runs through an orchard, a woman winds thread into skeins, women weave skeins into rugs. A soldier… READ MORE
by Miranda Cleland 22% of the world’s population this month aren’t eating or drinking anything- not even water- for an average of 16 hours a day, sunset to sunrise. And it has nothing to do with a lack of food. 1.6 billion Muslims around the world are taking part in the holiest month of Islam… READ MORE
by Miranda Cleland Do you remember learning how to read? You were probably about 5 years old, right? In the developed world, nearly everyone can read, even children, but literacy is atypical in Afghanistan—the World Bank estimates only 38% of Afghans can read and write, and the number is even lower for women, at 24%…. READ MORE