No Ban Can Stop Us from Learning: Girls Move Abroad to Continue Their Education

Following the ban imposed by the Taliban a year ago preventing women and girls from furthering their education past 6^th grade, an Afghan all-girls school has relocated its premises to Rwanda. It is now welcoming its pupils to learn in a safe environment.

“The dedication and strength of Afghan women and girls in the face of such adversity inspire and humbles us every day,” says António Vitorino Director General at the International Organization for Migration (IOM). “This initiative fills me with hope and resolve to continue our advocacy alongside women and girls in the country, for an Afghanistan that acknowledges, promotes, and builds on the contributions of its women, and invests in its girls.”

The School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) – an Afghan all-girls boarding school originally based in Kabul – relocated to Rwanda after the ban was enforced. Through IOM, girls outside of Afghanistan were granted safe travel arrangements and relocation to the SOLA campus. The first overseas students were assisted and escorted by IOM staff. More female students are expected to journey to SOLA, the first and only school of its kind, where secondary-level education is offered. SOLA’s vision is to create a generation of female leaders.