The School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA), an institution dedicated to educating girls, has opened a permanent campus in Rwanda, providing a sanctuary for students seeking to continue their education after fleeing their homeland. The new campus signifies a crucial step in ensuring the continuity of education for Afghan girls facing severe restrictions.
SOLA's relocation to Rwanda followed the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan in 2021. Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the founder of SOLA, along with approximately 100 students and faculty, fled Afghanistan and were welcomed by Rwanda. Initially, classes resumed in a hotel, serving as a temporary base for the displaced students and staff.
"That's exactly what this place represents for us – a permanent home for our girls," said Basij-Rasikh, referring to the new campus. "I’m so grateful for the welcome that we have received."
The move comes amid a deteriorating situation for women and girls in Afghanistan. According to a United Nations report, around 2.4 million Afghan girls are excluded from secondary education. While the Taliban initially stated that girls would have access to education under Islamic principles, they later barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, a restriction that remains in place.
Despite the challenges, the 122 girls currently enrolled at SOLA in Rwanda celebrate their educational opportunities while acknowledging the denial of similar chances for their peers back home. SOLA, which began as a boarding school in Kabul in 2016, has historically turned away a significant number of applicants due to capacity constraints. Even with the expanded capacity in Rwanda, the school anticipates rejecting over 99% of the thousands of annual applications from Afghan girls globally.
To broaden its reach, SOLA developed an online education platform called SOLAx. Launched in 2024 by Basij-Rasikh and her husband, Mati Amin, SOLAx offers online classes for grades 6 through 12 via WhatsApp, accessible to students globally but primarily geared towards Afghan girls. This initiative was born from an understanding of the political and technological realities in Afghanistan, where smartphone access is limited and internet connectivity is unreliable.
SOLAx incorporates features designed to overcome these obstacles, such as the ability for students to quickly delete chats and resume studies using a PIN code. The curriculum is delivered in Dari and Pashto for earlier grades and in English for later grades. The platform has already enrolled 41,000 students in Afghanistan and 76 other countries.
Basij-Rasikh also established SOLAx as a free program, funded by international donors. This commitment to empowering Afghan girls has garnered support from prominent figures. Louise Richardson, president of the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, noted Basij-Rasikh's long-standing dedication to education. Melinda French Gates, through her initiative supporting women and girls, recognized Basij-Rasikh as one of 12 leaders to receive $20 million, which Basij-Rasikh has directed to other Afghan civil society organizations working in exile.
"The reality is that we can’t do this work alone," Basij-Rasikh stated. "We need a robust ecosystem of organizations that could address different aspects of the need in Afghanistan when it comes to girls and women, because it is enormous."
SOLA's establishment of a permanent campus in Rwanda marks a significant milestone in its mission to provide education. Basij-Rasikh expressed her commitment to returning to Afghanistan, stating, "We have a mission to get ourselves back into Afghanistan. The Afghan girls that we prepare in exile, they will be the ones who lead."