Sahar in The Seattle Times
Sadaf, age 18, joined the inaugural round of the Stealth Sisters program in July 2022, only months after the Taliban closed schools for girls in Afghanistan. Joining the program was an act of desperation for Sadaf — restrictions on women mounted by the day.
Innovative, courageous organizations and individuals are ensuring that the Taliban’s announcement didn’t mean the end of girls’ educational opportunities. Washington-based nonprofit Sahar’s programs, such as Stealth Sisters, teach English and computer skills.
Sahar Education Featured in The Seattle Times
When the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan in 2021, Seattle-based Sahar found its mission completely undermined.
For almost 20 years, the nonprofit had worked to educate Afghan girls, denied education under the first Taliban regime in the 1990s. Sahar repaired schools and built new ones, which it turned over to Afghanistan’s education ministry to run.
Stealth Sisters & Threads of Hope: Sahar Provides Underground Education for Women with Shogofa Amini
When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, it again banned formal education for girls above 6th grade. Sahar is a Seattle-based non-profit that exists to find innovative ways to promote girls' access to education in Afghanistan by partnering with grassroots, locally-based organizations to create educational opportunities and safe learning spaces for girls and women, empowering and inspiring children and their families to build peaceful, thriving communities.