Education is Her Right
AESOP students depend on us for their education, for a sense of community that relieves isolation, for a path to a better future, and to nurture their spirits as learners.
Our Mission
AESOP provides free, online courses for Afghan girls and young women deprived of education in Afghanistan and across the diaspora. Afghans and international volunteers working together create a community of service, find their power, pursue their education, learn their value, and work towards a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their country.
Our story
Two Afghan women are responsible for changing my life. The first was Zahra Y, an Afghan refugee at the school where I was teaching. She invited me to help with a summer project teaching English to girls in Afghanistan in the summer of 2022, shortly after the Taliban banned education for girls. My experience as a teacher could help them live the lives they had been preparing for since childhood—a life quite different from that of their mothers. How could I not say yes?
It quickly became one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I continued saying yes. “Can we keep our class going?” Yes. “Can my sister join?” Yes. “Can my cousin join?” Yes. “Can my friend join?” Yes. Our little 4-week class of 18 was now a sustaining and growing English program, and I needed help. I asked one of my top students, Husna S A, who had previously offered to help if I ever needed it. And she too said yes.
Husna cultivated and expanded our program, codified our mission, created and curated our materials, organized volunteers, and built what is now the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project. From inside her bedroom (its window overlooking a Taliban check-point) she created a home for thousands like her.
