AFSO Student Amina*

Growing up in a tailor's family, Amina learned the complex craft of sewing and embroidering traditional clothing. She hand sewed often without electricity, damaging her eyes.

When Afghanistan's economy collapsed and her father's business suffered, Amina's family moved back to their ancestral village deep in the mountains, still absent of electricity and internet.

Amina stayed behind in her family's city apartment. The Taliban often broke in and demanded to know why she lived alone. Terrified, she realized she had to return to her family in order to study without fear. Making the journey barefoot took her three days, and it took three weeks for her feet to heal. As soon as she could walk again, she made her way to the top of the remote village's mountain where she could get a mobile phone signal.

She wrote to AFSO for books that she could download.

Open Doors Scholarship

With the help of a live guidance counselor at AFSO, Nadia has an open door to continue to learn.

After two years of studying, an AFSO university preparation course certificate, and a high TOEFL score, Nadia earned an Open Doors scholarship in Russia.

If she can secure funding for visa and travel, she will start at Southern Federal University in September 2026.

For more information on funding a female Afghan student's education with AFSO, please contact Director of Development Khushbu Srivastava at khushbu@afsousa.org.

*Name has been changed to protect her identity. The location of the rural mountain village in Afghanistan must also remain anonymous.