Educating Girls in Afghanistan
In September 2022, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade. They extended this education ban to universities in December 2022. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that criminalizes education for women. High Bluff Academy has partnered with a secret school for girls in Afghanistan to deliver an American high school diploma program to the most marginalized girls from the Hazara ethnic group. These brave teachers risk their lives every day to defy the government ban and deliver in person and online classes to girls who have no other options. The Hazara are unique in their passion for education. The fathers are in full support of their daughter’s education. The Hazara people have been the target of genocide and yet, they continue to strive every day toward a brighter future.
“These days, our students study and participate with great enthusiasm. It’s as if the Taliban are not there. The fear is gone, and excitement and eagerness have come.” – Yousefi, Principal of the Afghan school April, 2024.
Due to the security risks of this program, access to this webpage is confidential. Please do not reproduce the photos or information on social media.
Click here to see the school in action!
Jill Duoto
Director
Jill Duoto is the Founder and Director of High Bluff Academy. She has been an educator for over 30 years in international schools abroad and in San Diego. Her life’s focus changed once two Afghan students reached out to her for help. Mohammad and Aqila joined her family in San Diego in the fall of 2022 and have attended High Bluff Academy. This began her obsession with helping girls in Afghanistan. When she met Timothy Stiven, a teacher at her son’s public school, she was introduced to his club “Flowers for the Future” which was helping girls at a secret school in Afghanistan. Now she is committed to helping Hazara girls to reach their potential. She is inspired by the girls who have told her that “education is worth dying for”.
Flowers for the Future
Flowers for the Future is an after-school club started by Canyon Crest Academy teacher, Tim Stiven. His students have been providing live science lessons, art and poetry exchanges and friendship to Afghan students for several years. When the Taliban closed secondary schools for girls, these American students raised money to keep the school open. The friendships they forged have been a lifeline for these girls who otherwise would have fallen into despair. You can see them in action in this news story that was aired before the ban. News Story
Emergency Food Relief
According to the World Food Programme,1 in 3 Afghans do not know where their next meal is coming from and 15.8 million are currently facing crisis levels of food insecurity. Many of our students and their families need assistance with basic nutrition.
School Expenses
Students from Flowers for the Future have been raising money each month to pay rent, utilities, and security to keep the school open. As enrollment increases, we need to hire more teachers and improve the infrastructure for online teaching.
Expanding Enrollment
As the only education available to girls in the city, hundreds of girls walk hours each day to attend the classes that we support. The program not only gives them hope for the future, but provides a respite from the crippling isolation that girls face when forced to stay home.
Laptops and Modems
Access to the internet brings a multitude of educational opportunities to the girls in Afghanistan. In the evenings they can log into our live classes and join our U.S. History and English courses. High Bluff Academy students serve as tutors and mentors. Students in Flowers for the Future have created their own elective courses for the girls to choose from. This year we have purchased 150 laptops and modems, but hundreds of girls are waiting in line to be next. In the winter months, electricity is cut to only two or three hours per day. Eventually, we would like to purchase solar batteries for their laptops.
Passports and Visas
Many girls have been offered college scholarships in foreign countries. However, the Taliban is not issuing passports. One of our students recently hired smugglers to take her across the border into Pakistan, just so she could apply for a passport at the Afghan Embassy there. Those that have passports, must travel to Pakistan to get visas. A tourist visa to Pakistan now costs over $1,000 USD. Once in Pakistan, the girls need housing and money while they await the start of their college programs. Visa costs to those countries are expensive as well.
Scholarships
Full scholarships are very rare and even if the tuition is covered, students have to prove they have funds to cover living expenses. Even online university programs rarely give out scholarships. Options for higher education and vocational skills are out of reach to our students.
