A discussion on Rotary's commitment to supporting education for girls and women in Afghanistan.
Rotary is committed to supporting education for all people throughout the world. Razia Jan is a member of the Rotary Club of Duxbury (Massachusetts) and is an Afghan native. Prior to the U.S. military invasion in 2001, the Taliban had prohibited most girls and women from receiving educational and employment opportunities. After 9/11, Razia Jan began charitable efforts to support first-responders, sent care-packages to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and was involved with Operation Shoe Fly (which sent over 30,000 shoes to needy Afghan children). In 2008, she founded Razia’s Ray of Hope, a foundation which provides education to Afghan girls and women. The foundation built and supports the Zabuli Education Center, an all-girl K-12 school in the district of Deh’Subz (30 miles northeast of Kabul) that provides free education to almost 700 students. In 2017, the foundation opened the Razia Jan Institute, which provides graduates and community members career training opportunities as midwives.
A few years ago, I was able to hear Razia Jan speak at the Rotary District 7950 Conference about the Foundation. She told us of all the work she and others had done to open and maintain the school. She recounted how local village leaders first insisted she open a boys-only school, and now they race to register the girls from their family and villages every registration. She also recounted how local Mullahs (Islamic scholars and Mosque leaders) spoke out in support of the school when the country’s health minister would not allow a second class of midwives to begin schooling – the pressure from the Mullahs made the minister change his mind. Razia described how much of a difference the school made to the lives of the girls and their families, and how much she was looking forward to seeing the Razia Jan Institute grow. The Foundation has planned to open a new school in March 2022, which will allow the Foundation to double its capacity, helping to alleviate its years long waitlist of hundreds of girls.
There are many women and men in Afghanistan who wish to support women’s education despite the recent Taliban take-over, and they deserve our attention and support. Women have been protesting the Taliban in Herat, demanding education, employment, and representation in government for girls and women (CBSNews and DailyMail, Sept. 2, 2021). Razia’s Ray of Hope has received support in the past from local village leaders and Mullahs, and she believes their influence will continue to hold weight with the Taliban. Representatives from the Zabuli Education Center have been in contact with the Taliban’s new Minister of Education and they are optimistic that the Foundation’s schools will remain open to girls and young women, and the K-12 school should be reopening the first Saturday in September. All the staff and students are reported to be safe. (Duxbury Clipper, Sept. 1, 2021).
Given the current changes the country is facing, Rotary will continue to support Razia’s Ray of Hope in any way we can. Afghans and Razia Jan have not given up hope, and neither should we.
For further information see: Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation at https://raziasrayofhope.org/; “Breaking Ground on a New Afghanistan: Girls' Schools Paving the Way” at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/breaking-ground-on-a-new-afghanistan-girls-schools-paving-the-way-301263265.html and “Class is Still in Session in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan” at https://www.duxburyclipper.com/pageview/viewer/2021-09-01#page=12