Donate to help students continue their education

Hi, my name is Amin Rahimi, and I am raising funds for an English Language School in

Afghanistan – the Amazon English Academy – where I used to be a teacher and manager. No, it’s not affiliated with the company Amazon. We chose this name because “Amazon” connotates a powerful woman, and at its peak, the school had more than 1300 students that, included women as well as men.

When the Taliban took over the country, I left Afghanistan and came to the US. As a result of the sudden fall of Kabul, everything changed, with almost all businesses facing dire economic circumstances. The Amazon English Academy closed for many weeks, but the board of directors recently decided to open the Academy due to the students' requests. Since many students cannot pay fees, the Academy began giving 70% to 90% humanitarian discounts to the students, which has been a tremendous economic drain on the Academy’s finances. In addition, the Academy pays small salaries to the teachers and other staff – including guards to deter violent attacks on the school. Plus, the monthly rent for the Academy is US$1000 per month -- a very heavy burden.

I have been doing my best to help support the Academy. However, it's very difficult for one person to support a community of more than a thousand women and men who are determined to continue their studies despite the country being ruled by the Taliban. If the Academy closes, there will be many staff who will become unemployed and many students who will not be able to afford an education. I believe that drops of water can make a big difference in the long run; hence your small donations can help a large community of avid learners – many of whom are women and/or Hazara – a discriminated minority in the country who have been victims of ongoing incidents of violence.

The funds raised will be used to: