It just tastes better.

The recent Guardian article puts Afghanistan as the most dangerous place in the world for women. 

I know a lot of you are news-savvy people, and will assume you have some knowledge of Afghanistan, and can take some guesses as to why it might be hard to be female and Afghani right now.  I will also assume that this article bothered you, and you wanted to do something about it.

(This is where I shamelessly plug a really excellent program that is giving Afghan students a shot at a great education.)

There’s a non-profit called Afghan Scholars Initiative that is working to give highly qualified Afghan students a good education, from high school through college—and, by doing so, promote peace, cross-cultural understanding, and prosperity for Afghanistan.  (In the spirit of full disclosure, I do know the co-founders, and am very familiar with their work, though I have not worked for them.)  ASI, according to co-founder Qiam Amiry, “prepares the next generation of Afghanistan’s civic leaders.”  The goal: send Afghan students to the U.S. as part of a seven-year program (the first year, in Afghanistan, is an intensive program that links the student with a tutor from the U.S.—a really great way to make sure students succeed once they start at their new high school thousands of miles away).  Students attend two years of high school in the U.S., graduate (many with top honors), then go on to attend college.

By structuring the program as a seven-year plan, ASI supports and prepares their scholars, instead of simply dropping them off in the U.S. with no training and no assistance.

The program is still quite young, but already students have graduated from good high schools and have gone on to attend top colleges in the US.  It’s a creative (and effective) way of giving Afghan students a good education, as well as exposing American students to another culture.  (How many of you went to school with someone from Afghanistan?  How would that have affected your feelings towards Afghanistan?)  Finally, ASI has received a Projects for Peace grant (a grant from the Davis Foundation, most known for its work with the United World Colleges) and was recently named as an Echoing Green Finalist.

Check out the article about ASI in the Boston Globe.

If you’re interested in helping out, please click here to donate.  It’s really a worthwhile cause—the work they are doing is amazing, and it’s a really sustainable program.

P.S. Still not convinced?  Read about their new students to get an idea of who they recruit.  They are truly amazing individuals.