In the conservative province of Farah, the management of our radio station was contacted by the Taliban following calls from men received by our female hosts, which caused a strong disapproval. In this context of tightening restrictions, the current regime has recruited women to monitor radio broadcasts and report any deviations from the rules in force. Thus, we have decided to more strictly filter calls while regularly broadcasting a message explaining that our radio station is exclusively for women to avoid potential issues with the authorities.
This decision to tighten control over the radio comes within a broader context of repression of women's rights in Afghanistan. Thus, June 14 will mark a sad milestone in Afghanistan: it will have been 1000 days since girls were deprived of access to education. This day will symbolize not only a blatant injustice but also a tragedy for the future of an entire generation. On this somber anniversary, it is imperative that the entire world mobilizes to defend and guarantee the right to education for every girl in Afghanistan.
In an effort to highlight the lives of Afghan women, Solène Chalvon-Fioriti and Sandra Calligaro, journalists at Arte, accompanied our team on a trip to Afghanistan. Their presence was essential in capturing the challenges faced by our teams on the ground in Kabul. Thanks to their journalistic talent, they were able to capture the most poignant aspects of Afghan reality, offering an authentic and moving vision of the country through a documentary that you can find here.
The struggle for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan is at the heart of our actions, as evidenced by our collection "Resistance Renaissance", which has already found over 1500 buyers. The proceeds from each sale are donated to Begum to support our initiatives. If you wish to get it, you can follow this link.
On June 4th, we had the honor of hosting in our Paris offices, a visit from Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, who had been briefed on our education initiatives. She shared with us that she was deeply moved by our commitment and our approach of using media to disseminate educational content, a crucial step towards promoting education for all in Afghanistan. Following this visit, UNESCO pledged to support us through financial assistance, enabling us to expand all our projects and enhance our impact on the ground.
Since May 29th, our team in Paris has enhanced its working environment with the inauguration of new premises. This development follows Begum's growth trajectory, amplified by the success of the launch of Begum TV. The arrival of a team of Afghan presenters underscored the need to expand our offices to effectively support our continuously expanding projects. We now benefit from two distinct spaces: one dedicated to managing ongoing and future projects, as well as essential administrative tasks, and the other to television production.
- KASP WA KAR : Getee hosts a program with an economics specialist to support female entrepreneurship in Afghanistan by providing practical advice and discussing selected topics with business experts. The goal is to strengthen the skills, autonomy, and financial independence of Afghan women.
SHAD NAMA : It's an entertainment program hosted by Marina and a guest, featuring questions, puzzles, gossip, and humor. The goal is to bring joy to Afghan women by creating a positive atmosphere.
After producing over 8500 video lessons covering grades 7 through 12, we've decided to expand our offerings to grades 1 through 6. By acquiring the official curriculum for these grades, we've begun the audiovisual production of an additional 3000 videos.
In parallel, we now aim to venture into vocational training to enable Afghan women to benefit from practical training in various fields such as psychology, computer science, finance, accounting, and literacy.
In order to ensure a promising future for our students at Begum Academy, it is essential to establish partnerships with universities. This serves two objectives: obtaining recognition for our certificates and providing continuity in our students' studies.
Therefore, we have reached out to the American University of Afghanistan and are in the process of finalizing an agreement that will allow our students to have priority access to two of their programs: the first for remedial education and the second for higher studies. Starting this year, students from Begum Academy will have access to these programs, marking a significant advancement and recognition of our educational system. This agreement, expected to be finalized soon, attests to the quality of our teaching and opens up new academic opportunities for our students.
I started working for Hamida Aman, the founder of Begum, in 2005. At that time, she was leading a media group called Awaz, which I later became the general manager. So, we have been collaborating for about 20 years. I had always lived in Afghanistan, but in 2021, shortly before the Taliban's arrival, I had to leave my country and move to France. I continued my efforts remotely to support Afghanistan, notably through Radio Begum. In July 2023, the Begum Organization for Women established itself in France to help Afghan women, benefiting from a space with more freedom to act. I became the first employee of Begum in France, taking on the role of Head of Programs for Afghanistan.
This seemed natural to me, given my experience in media and communication, but most importantly because I firmly believe in Begum's goals of informing, educating, and empowering Afghan women. I could not and cannot remain silent in the face of the situation where young girls are forbidden from attending school and are forced to stay at home. Begum is the only organization that offers a wide range of educational programs for girls who can no longer study. It is an honor for me to contribute to this mission and to work towards a better future for all Afghan women.
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