Help me support 7 low income students back in my home. The support will be divided between 3 different purposes:

• support for tuition, supplies, and test costs of those who are taking language classes as a way to continue education (clarification: although Taliban has banned girls from attending school past 6th grade, language and other skill based classes are allowed to function and those who can afford it are using them as a way to continue their education)
• support with housing costs for an Afghan student in Pakistan who can neither return to her home nor pay for her dorm in the summer
• relief support for two students

Hi everyone,

Thanks for checking my fundraising out. It means a lot for me and everyone who has been a part of this. It’s actually the third time I am doing it, and it wouldn’t be possible without the help of all my friends giving input, volunteer work of Homaira Arian with distribution of the help, the people I am trying to support, and all the people who donated to make it possible. 

Here is the outcome of the last fundraising

• Guldasta: we covered 12 months of her study, books and supplies, and transportation 
• Samira: we covered 8 months of her study, books and supplies, and transportation
• Fatema and Zinet: we covered 9 months of their studies, books and supplies, and transportation 
• Zabiada: we helped her buy a computer when she got a scholarship to study computer science in Pakistan

Here is what we will use the new fundraising money for

For Guldasta and Samira

To cover their advance studies and toefl English Proficiency tests cost (it costs ~250 per test)

• We have been helping them since the first and second fundraising respectively. In the last two years, Goldasta took all the classes from elementary level up to now in advanced level, got a job as teacher, and now studies advanced English to prepare for a language proficiency test. Samira had already gone half of the way when she joined. And she continued the other half with the help of the funds and finished all her studies. With the money of this fundraising I want to help both of them pay for the language proficiency test. 

“I am very thankful to you for supporting me for such a long time. Your help prevented me from falling behind others because of my difficult financial situation. With your support, I have changed a lot. I learned a new skill and became happier and more hopeful. This opportunity has given me motivation and confidence, and now I truly believe I have a great future ahead of me.” - Goldasta 

“I decided to learn English to get a job and help my family. But I didn't have money for a course, so I went to give vaccinations to children and earn a little money … I would borrow the rest. I shared all this because I want you to know my real goal in learning English is to improve myself, help my family, and support others like me who need help. I have learned a lot from studying it, and it has made me more confident. ” -Samira

For Fatemah and Zinet 

To be used for the next year of their classes to cover tuition and book costs

• I actually met Fatemah in January 2025 in a local story writing contest I run with a friend in collaboration with my school. Her immense creativity and positivity really struck me. She asked me about how studying abroad works and I told her you should learn English for that. After she let me know she can’t because of financial burdens, I told her I will try to find support to help her take classes and she asked if her sister Zinet can join too. They both started as beginners and have been growing since then. I know the two of them are facing many challenges and trying to walk forward, and I believe they deserve all the support in the world to reach a better place. 

For Zabiada

To help her spend this summer in her dorm in Pakistan

• Difficulty getting visas and restriction by Taliban on women travelling with a student visa or without a male companion has made it almost impossible for a lot of us who study abroad to visit our homes. For those who struggle financially and are in countries where they cannot earn enough money by working, this means they have to survive the summer time, which most scholarships don’t cover. I let Zabiada explain her situation more by copying her message here: 

“I am an Afghan girl currently studying at a university in Pakistan. I come from a family with limited financial resources, but I am working hard to continue my education and build a better future for myself and my family.

My university has asked students to leave the dorm during the summer break. Due to my family’s financial situation, I cannot afford to travel back to Afghanistan because the cost of the flight is very high. Staying in Pakistan also requires money for accommodation, food, and daily expenses, which is currently very difficult for me.

My goals for the summer are to improve my English skills, find an internship, gain experience, and learn skills that can help me become independent and create a better future.

With respect, I kindly request your financial support during this difficult period. Any amount of help you can provide would mean a lot to me and would give me the chance to continue working toward my goals.

Thank you sincerely for your kindness, support, and consideration.”

Note: In case you are curious of how this can help her now that the summer has already started, I have been fronting some of the cost out of pocket.

Relief funds for Moazezah and Roholamin

• Moazezah is a friend I have known for years. I was always inspired by her strength and the way she fights very heavy struggles in life. 3 years ago she decided to leave Afghanistan with the help of a scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering in a neighboring country. That day I was happier for her than I was for me coming to MIT. Little did I know that she will get displaced back to Afghanistan because of wars. I can’t imagine how it feels to go through all of that, but I hope through this fundraising we can lift some of her struggles even if just for a short time.
• Roholamin is a college student, his family lost two members to cancer and they are still going through the grief as well as the impact of extremely costly medical treatment of his departed family members. I hope through this fundraising he can meet his needs in college better and be less dependent on his family’s support in a very demanding time. 

If you help with even 10 dollars, that can be a week of someone’s study, a few days of someone’s food, or the roof on top of their head. 

Information on distribution of funds 

The funds will be sent to me, I will send them to recipients via MoneyGram, or I will send them to Homaira Arian who has been volunteering to distribute the funds for the last two years.