Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund Inc
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Educational Assistance Program
At its inception in 2008, AGFAF's goal was to support one Afghan girl's college education. Since then, AGFAF has aided over 40 students. The fund not only helps academically qualified Afghanistan students to pursue their education in the United States but it is also the hub through which volunteers, host families, mentors, colleges and universities, summer employers and in-kind donors flow to make up an inclusive support system.
AGFAF works closely with qualifying students in identifying colleges and universities which provide a good fit for the student academically. The fund then secures financial aid to cover tuition, room and board from the college or university. Some of these schools have become AGFAF’s greatest assets and in effect, the largest donors. Finally, AGFAF commits to funding costs which fall outside of the school’s responsibility such as medical insurance, books and travel expenses. Once a student starts school, AGFAF, the school, the host families and the mentors work together to ensure that in addition to the student’s financial needs, their emotional and social well being is also supported.
AGFAF’s support is not limited to the student’s educational needs. The fund also helps prepare the students for a successful return to Afghanistan by paying for each student's transportation home each summer so that they maintain familial and social ties.
In addition, AGFAF has also identified a wide network of Afghan professionals and corporations which assist the students in obtaining meaningful summer internships that could lead to long term opportunities once they conclude their education in the U.S.
These students come to AGFAF through different avenues and with diverse ethnic and social backgrounds. Their path back to Afghanistan is never straight and varies with some opting for graduate school or Optional Practical Training (OPT), but they all have one thing in common; a love for their country and a commitment to return to Afghanistan. They are determined to effect social and economic change; to bring knowledge and understanding to their county and to support peace in the world. In the words of one AGFAF student, “I have always wanted to see an Afghanistan where children are not abused and women are not used as objects but they are given value and respect the way they are in other countries. My plan for my future is that once I finish college, I will work in bringing any kind of social change in Afghanistan whether it be fight for women’s rights, children’s rights, or human rights, because I believe that a country will prosper only when the people living in the country are not oppressed, abused, and given the value that each individual deserves.”
Impact Project Initiative
In 2016 AGFAF launched its Impact Project Initiative. The idea is to allow AGFAF students to develop projects, from conception to implementation, which directly impact and enrich the lives of the Afghan people. AGFAF supplies the financing and mentoring and AGFAF students bring the ideas and the commitment to see their projects through.
The first of these projects, Baale Parwaz Library was built in Kabul in a public elementary school in the summer of 2016 and doubled its space in 2018. Andeshagah Library and Armaan Braille Library (the first Braille library in Afghanistan) were also built in two different schools in Kabul the following summer. Together these libraries serve thousands of students and guests every week.
Although libraries are a traditional part of the US educational curriculum, they are not commonly found in Afghan schools. In addition to becoming an invaluable resource for the schools' students, these libraries also serve the communities in which they are located. Books, laptops (with internet access) and enrichment classes which include photography and art, self-defense, English and Farsi book clubs, adult reading and writing classes, are open to the students and the community. Some AGFAF students have developed STEM and Coding Classes which are now permanent offerings at the libraries.
Where we work
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund Inc
Board of directorsas of 03/21/2023
I. Leo Motiuk
Windels, Marx, Lane and Mittendorf - Retired Attorney
Term: 2016 -
Israel Leo Motiuk
Windels, Marx, Lane and Mittendorf-retired
Joseph Highland
ENVIRON - retired
Hans Dekker
Community Foundation of New Jersey