Welcome to RAWAN
RAWAN – the Dari word for “movement” - is a non-profit educational organization committed to empowering young women in Afghanistan. We believe that every woman deserves access to opportunities for personal and professional growth. Through our programs, we strive to address the multiple barriers young Afghan women face in pursuing their educational goals in a context rife with social, economic, technological, and psychological barriers. Although there are many online organizations and international programs working to provide educational options for Afghan women, RAWAN is one of the few that recognizes the complex of circumstances that makes it difficult for Afghan women to take advantage of such resources. What we lack in size, we make up for in individual attention. Indeed, helping our students feel sufficiently confident and qualified to access and personalize the abundance of educational resources currently online is our primary goal.
Our Objectives
To identify, implement, and monitor the most effective technological tools currently available for online English Language Learning (ELL) as well as online training in graphic design and other marketable technical skills. By enlisting the expertise of professionals in areas such as language learning, computer-facilitated instruction, student assessment, and women’s leadership development, we will create a support team to guide the design and implementation of instructional units suitable for use in non-institutional settings in Afghanistan.
Our Goal
Our goal is to empower up to 100 young Afghan women with the ability to take advantage of online educational resources. Doing so not only requires confidence in using basic English but also confidence in finding and accessing online programs. This, in turn, requires reliable on-the-ground technological support.
Our Values
Flexibility: We constantly monitor and adapt to the needs of our students.
Support: We attempt to provide more than formal educational experiences. We realize many of our students have personal, social, and technical needs that impact their ability to learn. We don’t expect them to “problem solve” on their own.
Equality: We try to keep student costs to a minimum. All we ask our students to bring to us is their desire to learn.
Commitment: We make every attempt to stay with our students through to their goals.
Collaboration: We do not see ourselves in competition with any other organizations. If other organizations can meet educational needs we ourselves cannot meet, we will help our students access and leverage the resources of those organizations.
Afghan Learning Program (ALP)
ALP is a new initiative by Rawan Organization, designed to make education more accessible, practical, and empowering for Afghan girls and women. It combines the flexibility of online learning with the experience of in-person training centers, ensuring that every student, whether at home or on campus, receives quality instruction and skill development opportunities. Through ALP, Rawan is not only providing education but also building pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and independence.
Our Approach
We provide Afghanistan-based online English language instruction to young women aged 16 and above. Because the research shows that learning from other second-language learners is especially effective, our classes are taught by qualified Afghan instructors. Furthermore, an accurate assessment of each student’s current English literacy level as well as an understanding of her personal goals for using English help ensure her personal commitment and our effective assistance.
We offer our students an opportunity to dialogue with same-age college women in the United States. Through such conversation partnering, we hope to provide our students not only with an opportunity to use their English language skills in an informal context, but also to develop friendships with women from a variety of ethnic and national backgrounds.
Reliable internet access is a serious concern in a country where electrical power is intermittent. We attempt to understand and meet the specific technological needs of each of our students. Where needed, we provide, free of charge, smart phones, laptops, battery packs, and enhanced access to internet platforms. Our goal is to have a current technology profile for every student, so her online learning is not hampered by technological obstacles.
Beginning in the fall of 2025, our program plans to include online training in financial literacy and graphic design for qualified students. We are also developing a guide to using AI to personalize one’s use of online learning resources as well as a directory of links to other online English literacy programs, certificates, and university programs.
