Today, Tuesday 8th March, we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD)! This year’s campaign theme is Break the Bias, a collective effort to fight the discrimination, stereotypes, and barriers to success that women face daily. To support the people who contend with some of the most repressive state policies on women’s rights, AUW is focusing this year’s IWD initiatives on Afghan women’s education and aiming to raise 500 scholarships for newly enrolled students from Afghanistan.

Afghan students represent the second largest student group at AUW and have been a core part of our outreach efforts over the past decade. In August of 2021, the Taliban’s return to power drove AUW to evacuate 148 of its Afghan students and alumnae from Afghanistan to the U.S., where they have since been placed on full scholarship at American colleges and universities and received pro bono legal and mentorship support. We owe a huge thank you to our generous network that made this possible!

While these students will continue their studies safely in the U.S., hundreds of thousands of young women in Afghanistan remain cut off from the right to a safe education. After campaigning across all 34 provinces of the country, AUW tested and interviewed thousands of candidates and has admitted an incoming cohort of 500 Afghan women. Since the start of 2022, we have welcomed 158 of the new cohort safely onto campus.

On this year’s International Women’s Day, AUW is seeking funding support for 500 scholarships for women from Afghanistan. Help us to fight discrimination and build a more equitable future for Afghans through strong leadership. Through unity, we can Break the Bias and break the cycle of oppression for Afghan women.

To support, please visit https://asian-university.org/donate.