AFGHAN FEMALE STUDENT OUTREACH

If May is a riot of spring blooms, AFSO's May is a florescence of interest across Afghanistan. Our applications have increased five-fold, and we expect more than 400 students to take our summer classes in research, writing, social and natural sciences, and TOEFL preparation. Registration will begin around May 15 using our new online registration system—and while we are prepared for the usual startup glitches, we are hopeful that the process will enable us to place students more efficiently into the classes that meet their needs for learning English and continuing in their field of study.

Our April 21 event, "Why AFSO? An Hour with Our Students in Afghanistan," drew 120 participants who met not only with our leadership and faculty, but also—and most importantly—with our students. We're pleased to report that contributions since April 21 have now met the $5,000 matching pledge from our Board of Directors. What's more, two participants have now offered another $12,000 in matching pledges for all contributions made before June 30, 2024. So if you have been on the fence about contributing to AFSO, now is the time! Your $200 = $400, your $500 = $1,000, all of it going to help Afghan women determine their own future.

We're inspired by all this support to mount our summer campaign, Building the Bridge, to meet the final matching pledge that will ensure our future as an organization: $100,000 from our founding donor by September if we can secure the remainder of the funding we need to building the bridge for our students from oppression under the Taliban to life as free, educated women. More on the campaign and the kickoff event with Cuatro Puntos in the Berkshires on our Events page.

Most of our funding comes in the form of the incredible service offered by volunteer professors and professionals around the world. What remains are basic administrative costs and the valuable data packages that allow our students to attend class online. This means that a monthly donation of only $37 supports one student's ongoing enrollment, making AFSO perhaps the most cost-efficient educational organization on the planet.

For those of us who give our time here, it's not about the money. It's about students like Zahra, who says in this video, "By AFSO we can repair our broken wings. It gives us hope that we will read our dreams again. . . . I start a new journey with AFSO." We're looking forward to working again with Zahra and with all our old and new students throughout a summer in which the world is fraught, but our small piece of it feels full of promise.

Best regards,

Lucy

President of the Board

Afghan Female Student Outreach