The Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) has released a report detailing the profound impact of “gender apartheid” on women and girls in Afghanistan, stating that “it’s hard to find a more telling measure” of this devastation.
Lauryn Oates, the executive director of CW4WAfghan, emphasized the critical importance of girls’ access to education in the report. “When I ask myself, how do we know when we’ve won? The answer is: when every single one of those 9.3 million girls and young women has a school to call their own,” she said.
Oates highlighted the necessity of education for the wellbeing and rights of women, calling it the most strategic pathway towards empowerment and equity. Citing UNICEF’s findings, she noted that Afghanistan is home to over 21 million children, approximately 10.5 million of whom are girls. “Using the global rate to calculate the percentage of children who are school-aged, we end up with around 9.3 million girls who should be attending school at the basic education level (up to grade 12),” she said.
She also referenced UNESCO’s 2023 findings, stating that around 80% of school-aged girls and young women in Afghanistan are out of school.
CW4WAfghan’s report elaborates on the organization’s activities, showcasing the internal consensus on the transformative power of education. “We know meaningful learning needs to be happening in the classroom, and that takes more than just getting girls through the door,” Oates said. “Education must be relevant and aligned with the aspirations of young people who want to be part of the modern world, who want an education that will give them agency and opportunity.”
The report also highlights CW4WAfghan’s commitment to creating educational opportunities, noting that the organization has built a digital school for Afghan students. “Its desks are digital, but its students and teachers are real. And we will continue adding more rooms until there is a seat for everyone,” Oates stated.
The report detailed CW4WAfghan’s program updates from April to June 2024:
The first enrolments of grade 10 students to DD Classroom were completed, with a total of 378 students in grades 7-10 enrolled in Afghanistan.
151 Afghan refugee students in grades 7 and 8 were enrolled in DD Classroom through two Digital Learning Centres (62 students in Turkey and 89 students in Pakistan).
Between April and June 2024, the organization received 64 applications, bringing the total since January to 233.
450 applications were received for Remote Communications Assistance.
CW4WAfghan continues to extend educational lifelines to those struggling to access them, reaffirming their commitment to the empowerment and education of Afghan girls and young women.
