Help Mursal (Afghan evacuee) go to college!

Mursal Fahimi (19) and her sister evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021 after the Taliban took over. As members of an ethnic minority, women's rights activists, and young women scholars, they were not safe in Afghanistan. After many terrifying days at the Kabul airport, they were airlifted by the US Military, spent several weeks on a military base, and eventually settled in the DC area.

 

Mursal has been accepted to University of Maryland, where she hopes to study computer science. She is eager to live in the dorms and get the real US college experience!

Unfortunately, even with in-state tuition, college is expensive, and her parents are unable to help, having recently escaped Taliban harassment by going to Pakistan. She will need funds for tuition, housing, a meal plan, and books.

 

Mursal was an environmental activist in Kabul and taught global warming and climate change topics to her fellow classmates and other kids through Fridays for the Future of Afghanistan project. She loves art, soccer, and running. She is working on a project to help informal girls' schools in Kabul (because formal girls' schools are closed and girls can't attend secondary school) so her friends can still get an education.

 

While we are hoping to raise the full amount, anything helps!

Estimated Budget

Annual tuition and mandatory fees $11,230

On-campus residence hall room, cable and phone $8,570

Meal plan (average) $5,480

Books and supplies $1,250

Transportation and incidental costs $2,500