The Situation

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, women and girls have faced unfathomable oppression and have been banned from all secondary schools and universities, from many public spaces, and are subject to a growing list of discriminatory restrictions.  

Many Afghan families have fled Afghanistan to neighboring countries where they are living in uncertainty and often, without access to education. These families cannot return to Afghanistan due to the risk of persecution and grave harm and do not have durable solutions for resettlement.

Our Response

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan is dedicated to upholding the right to learn, and we provide ongoing, alternative access to education. Our response has included expansion of our Technology for Education program including virtual schooling, opening of Digital Learning Centers in neighboring countries, scholarships and support with access to connectivity and hardware, providing professional development courses for displaced educators, and our newest complementary program, Safe Harbour – Protecting the Right to Education Through Resettlement.  

Information Support

Since August 2021, CW4WAfghan has researched and compiled information on safe passage options, and shared a comprehensive resource document with thousands of Afghan women, girls and their families seeking durable solutions for resettlement during this period of crisis.

 

In the Safe Harbour program, CW4WAfghan is working in collaboration with Canadian institutions that are Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) in our efforts to relocate Afghans who are at risk for their involvement in gender-equitable education and vulnerable women and girls seeking education, and their families, to Canada so they can resume their education in a place of safety and certainty. 

Families are resettled with the assistance of our volunteer chapters across Canada. We assist with securing housing, acquiring furnishings, enrolling children in school, providing language instruction, accessing healthcare, and offering cultural and community support. 

Outcomes

The women, girls, and their families who are resettled will be able to

      • pursue educational and employment opportunities,
      • be positioned to contribute to supporting and strengthening gender-equitable Afghan education from their safe haven,
      • regain respect for their human rights and freedoms,
      • escape poverty, violence, and threats to their lives,
      • attain self-sufficiency, and
      • become models and trailblazers, supporting the next generation of educated Afghan women and girls.

By supporting safe passage and resettlement to Canada, we are reconnecting Afghan women and girls with the education they have been denied and preserving critical gains made in Afghan education.

To contribute to resettlement of Afghan women, girls, and their families and to sponsor future Afghans settling in Canada, please donate here: