It's been five years. Five years of our rights dwindling to the point of disappearance. Five years in which education was stolen from us--first secondary school, then university. Five years--a quarter of our lives!--being confined to our homes, forbidden to sing, forbidden to speak above a whisper, forbidden to travel without a male guardian, forbidden to show our faces. Forbidden to be fully human.

Five years, too, in which we found our voices. We would not spend these years slaving for a husband, cowering in the dark. Our lives were meant for learning, for discovery, for dialogue, for honing our gifts to contribute to society. We found AFSO.

Now, what of the next five years? There are 1200 of us, plus 6000 more on AFSO's wait list. How will we spend these years, where will they take us? We are ready to do the work: to master English, finish our degrees, and become the doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, and scientists our country yearns for. But we need your help. We need support for internet access, for visas and travel to countries where we can study beyond what AFSO provides, for the tools to craft our future.

Learning is lifelong. You know that, and we do, too. Learning is for life. But learning also gives us life. Without it, we are ghosts of ourselves, invisible in the room. Learning is the air we breathe, the food that nourishes our minds and souls. Learning will keep us alive, and with it, we will bring life to our sisters and brothers all across Afghanistan.

Now is the time. AFSO brought us out of the darkness of the last five years. With your support, the next five years can be full of light.

Life is for Learning

and Learning is for Life