AEWA member organization Educate Girls Now is proud to highlight five productive partnerships with Alliance members established over the past year. Understanding the importance of a comprehensive educational program, EGN recently initiated its Pathways International School designed for Afghan girls in grades 7-12 which provides a full curricular pathway for Afghan girls to earn diplomas from Oak Meadow, an accredited US school. Students are supported to meet the academic requirements for high school graduation and become prepared to attend a boarding school or university outside of Afghanistan, an online regional university, and/or participate in the economy of Afghanistan or another country. The program was piloted in partnership with The Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation (KVS). Together, KVS and EGN hired and trained 11 teachers living in Afghanistan to provide daily synchronous classes through Whatsapp to 106 Afghan girls. Through their “School on a Phone” students learned valuable transversal skills as well as core academic subjects, prepared homework, met other students, and even conducted science experiments together.
Next, the partnership is expanding its programming to include vocational and entrepreneurial training with advice from NOVE Caring Humans. Other collaborations include The Rumi Organization for Research which has generously provided Duolingo coupons so EGN students who graduate from the Pathways School can apply to higher education programs. In addition, EGN was able to bring two young girls to boarding schools in the US with the support of Right to Learn Afghanistan which made it possible for them to get diplomas in EGN’s Pathways International School. EGN is very grateful for the guidance and support of AGFAF in that effort.
“We hope to continue these partnerships and develop new collaborations, for, as we all know, we are definitely stronger together,” says EGN’s Director of Education, Nargis Zidran.
