Our partnership with Sahar

According to the UN Population Fund, nearly 57% of girls in Afghanistan are married before the legal age of 16. Cultural groups in the Balkh Province participate in the customs of early marriage for various reasons: bride prices, bringing money into poverty-stricken families, bride exchange, child engagement, and “honor” situations. All of these practices contribute to girls dropping out before finishing secondary school. Afghan girls and their families are demanding greater access to education in their war-torn country. Since the removal of the Taliban, millions of children have entered the school system, many for the very first time. As the system is slowly rebuilt, there are still large gaps and girls are still substantially under-represented among the students in the Afghanistan education system.

Our partnership with Sahar Education supported their Early Marriage Prevention program, which worked to increase knowledge and awareness of early marriage and to change attitudes and perceptions about the practice for students, families, local elders, school principals, and religious leaders. This program encouraged students to communicate with their parents about the issue of early marriage, empowered them through leadership and self-esteem training to stand up for their legal rights, and introduced them to female role models who can inspire their future goals. The ultimate goal is to decrease the instances of student dropouts due to early marriage and learn the most effective interventions for preventing early marriage dropouts.