Hi, my name is Ruth Harvey, and I'm fundraising for a special project for women and girls in Afghanistan that provides access to quality online education at secondary, vocational and university levels.

Online education provides a way of overcoming the barriers that keep women oppressed - the MIIED online education project stands as a beacon of hope for women and girls in Afghanistan.

At this early stage, external funding is critical to our growth. In the process of launching our institute and establishing systems to ensure it is self-sustaining into the future, we need raise stop-gap funds to support the volunteers and pay their internet costs.

How you can help:

We are aiming to raise $10,000 to meet our baseline needs.

If you share our passion and wish to witness our impact on a global scale, you can directly support the education of girls in Afghanistan by contributing to our start-up fund. Every donation makes a difference.

Our start-up fund will cover the basic costs of internet and technical support for teachers and students in Afghanistan. These funds will ensure the fundamentals of reliable communications and a supportive learning environment.

Background:

Since the Taliban resumed power in 2021, schools have been closed to women and girls - effectively they have been denied public education and work opportunities in their own country.

The challenge:

We firmly believe that restricting the intellectual and professional development of women and girls is detrimental to the well-being of communities, societies, and economies. It represents a significant loss of human potential and valuable perspectives.

Who we are:

We are Mother International Institute of Education (MIIED) - a Melbourne-based non-governmental and non-political institution dedicated to providing girls in Afghanistan with direct access to high-quality online education. Our board of directors, predominantly composed of Afghan academics, is unwavering in our commitment to the principle of education as an inalienable human right. https://miied.com.au/

Our solution:

MIIED is a social enterprise offering a range of online programs, from secondary to higher education and vocational training - focusing on empowering women and girls with professional skills for decent jobs. Our courses are delivered through Moodle, ensuring a quality online education environment. We offer a diverse range of educational content and classes in Dari, Pashto, and English.

Our strength is our academic experience, our connections to educators in Afghanistan, our access to Moodle, together with our dedication and broad collective expertise.

Our approach is unique in that we prioritize educational programs that align with Afghanistan’s systems, utilizing international standards and the expertise of Afghan women scholars both local and in the global diaspora. We have invested over 12 months matching curricula, and translating of content and competencies that make qualifications achieved relevant and in tune with global standards.

Our Technology:

Using Moodle Cloud, we create engaging virtual classrooms that foster social interaction and an inclusive learning environment. We have already successfully implemented the Afghanistan National Secondary School Curriculum within the Moodle Cloud online education framework. Our adherence to Learning Management System (LMS) criteria and international standards ensures a robust educational experience.

MIIED is not just an educational platform but a lifeline for students whose education has been disrupted. We offer synchronous, semi-synchronous, and asynchronous courses accessible on various devices, with plans to provide paper courses for those without internet access.

Sustainability and Funding:

Through the dedication of our volunteer teachers and directors, we have achieved the successful operation of pilot classes and the establishment of a fully functional institute.

Our goal is to establish the Institute as a self-sustaining entity, a thriving social enterprise - a place where teachers receive fair compensation and scholarships are available to those in financial need - we initially rely on the generosity of donations and small grants from supporters who share our vision, mission, and operational philosophy.

Our impact:

Since the outset of 2023, we have diligently laid the groundwork to provide girls in Afghanistan with direct access to high-quality online education, and successfully trialled these courses for three terms, all with voluntary teachers and technicians and directors.

We are currently catering to over 300 female Afghan girls: helping final-year bachelor’s students complete their studies and secondary school students to advance to higher grades.

The opportunity for secondary and higher education has ignited hope and bolstered the morale of disenfranchised women and girls in Afghanistan. Many eagerly anticipate our expansion into vocational courses and higher education pathways.

By supporting us you are supporting a scalable and inclusive solution

Our ultimate mission is empowerment of the most disempowered women globally, because we know “women hold up half the sky” and their oppression is to the detriment of everyone.

Thank you so much