The Sakena Fund in collaboration with Lynn University’s Social Impact Lab

Background

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One of the most pressing challenges facing Afghan women today is the inability to access education and career opportunities. The absence of formalized education for an entire generation of half the Afghan population presents major challenges to the country's ability to progress, and innovative solutions need to be implemented in order to effect change.

This project focuses on the development of a successful private online women’s university that meets the highest international standards of education and that will serve as a dedicated space for women to grow professionally in preparation for a better future.

The associated action research specifically focuses on developing and implementing a forward-thinking curriculum tailored to the needs of Afghanistan and the hopes and dreams of Afghan women. It will offer specialized programs, resources, networks, and tools for women to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to apply for and retain jobs upon graduation. 

Deliverables & Impact

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This project is expected to have a significant impact on the lives and futures of women in Afghanistan, and for the country as a whole. By allowing access to opportunities previously denied, and by providing a dedicated space in which women can thrive, this project will not only change the lives of women, but also the socio-political culture in which they live. 

As a deliverable, WFI's research partners at Lynn University have developed a practical, innovative curriculum for the women’s university, which is being reviewed by the Sakena Fund, our partner over the last four years, and the broadest educational nonprofit in Afghanistan with bases of learning across the country. The deliverable consists of six field-specific majors designed to equip women with the skills and tools needed to join the Afghan workforce. The research has demonstrated that journalism, nursing, technical education training, entrepreneurship, political science, and physiology are the optimal career options for Afghan women in the near future. As such, these majors form the core of the curriculum deliverable. In addition, WFI is partnering with corporations providing mentorship opportunities and job networking. 

WFI's Lynn University team has developed an online format and is working with our partners at iCohere to create the foundation for a virtual College Preparatory School in Afghanistan, catering specifically to women. Given the current political and social insecurity in Afghanistan, this project takes into account the many challenges that will be faced in an ever-changing and often dangerous sociopolitical context, particularly as it pertains to women’s education.

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Now, Women Forward International, Lynn University’s team, icohere, and the Sakena Fund will take our work to the next level: together with the women and men on the ground in Afghanistan and WFI's broad university network of leading research institutions, we will build access to online education leading to the first online international university for women in Afghanistan. Our prestigious global university community is poised to contribute to this endeavor. ​​