October 2021
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August and have since formed a new government. The last few months have seen a huge amount of upheaval and instability for Afghans, including students sponsored by the Foundation and people involved in the projects we have funded.
As the situation evolves, we are beginning to get a better picture of what society under the Taliban might look like and what areas we will still be able to fund, at least for the immediate future.
Continuing our work
As well as supporting projects that have started up again, we are getting funding requests from organisations working at grass roots level and are supporting them where appropriate.
Our recent work includes the following:
- Humanitarian aid: we are engaging with our partners in Afghanistan and are helping with humanitarian aid, especially supporting displaced families in the country.
- Supporting existing projects: we are funding previous projects that have started up again.
- Supporting students: we are supporting our sponsored students until they graduate, including making additional contributions to their living expenses. Some universities have re-opened, and women are being allowed to study if classes are segregated.
- Planning more scholarships: we intend to provide more scholarships for women in the spring when we will have a clearer idea of the changes introduced under the new regime.
Keeping you informed
We have always been keen to show precisely how your donations are used, in terms of the amount spent on each project, the organisations we support, and the people who benefit.
However, we are currently not reporting in the same detail as before, to ensure the security and safety of the people running the projects. We will continue to provide as much information as we can.