My name is Tamana Ghaznawi. I completed my bachelor's degree at Cornell University last year and will earn my Master of Public Health from Cornell this May. I am writing this for my younger sister, Tahmina.

Two years ago, our father was diagnosed with ALS. He lost his ability to walk and could no longer work. He was the only income earner in our family. Since then, I have been the sole financial support for my entire family — working every hour I was legally allowed as a student to keep them afloat from thousands of miles away. Our mother, under Taliban rule, is not permitted to work.

I am not writing this for myself. I am writing this because my sister's one chance at an education is about to close.

Tahmina left Afghanistan to study pre-college courses in China. She did not leave because she wanted to — she left because the Taliban banned all women and girls from education at every level. No school. No university. No leaving the house without a male escort. That is the country she would be sent back to if this doesn't work.

Despite everything, Tahmina kept going. She studied. She applied. And she was admitted to Saarland University in Germany.

This is her one open door.

But to get her student visa, German immigration law requires a "blocked account" — a deposit proving she can support herself for one year. That deposit is €11,904. Tahmina cannot afford this. I have spent everything I earn keeping my family alive while my father's condition worsens. There is no savings. There is no safety net.

The deadline is the end of March 2026. If the account is not funded, Tahmina loses her admission, her visa is denied, and she will be forced to return to Afghanistan — where she will not be allowed to study, to work, or to step outside freely.

Where Your Money Goes — The Math:

Here is exactly how every dollar will be used:

Our goal is set at $15,000. Any funds raised beyond $14,225 will go directly toward Tahmina's flight from China to Germany once her visa is approved, and her initial settlement costs upon arrival.

This is not the first time our family has faced impossible odds. When the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, I was among nine Afghan women scholars who escaped on one of the last flights out. We circled the airport for 48 hours under gunfire before boarding a plane — not knowing where it would land. It landed in America. Cornell gave me a chance, and I spent four years proving I belonged there.

I co-organized a rally at Cornell's Day Hall calling for Afghan women's right to education. I have spent every day since I arrived in this country fighting — for my degree, for my family, and for the belief that Afghan women deserve to learn.

Tahmina is next. She earned her admission. All she needs is the chance to walk through the door.

Read more about my journey:

They Fled Afghanistan Together — and Now They're Graduating (Cornell Alumni)

https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/afghan-grads-2025/

Afghan Women Scholars Who Escaped Taliban Find Refuge at Cornell University (CNY Central)

https://cnycentral.com/news/local/afghan-women-scholars-who-escaped-taliban-find-refuge-at-cornell-university

Rally for Afghan Women and Girls' Right to Education — Cornell University

https://events.cornell.edu/event/rally-for-afghan-women-and-girls-right-to-education

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for believing that a young Afghan woman's education is worth $15,000 and five minutes of your time to share this page.

Love and Peace