The co-founder and president of Afghanistan’s only girls’ boarding school said Tuesday that dozens of students and staff have relocated to Rwanda.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh with the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), said in a social media post, “Last week, we completed the departure from Kabul of nearly 250 students, faculty, staff, and family members.
“Everyone is en route, by way of Qatar, to the nation of Rwanda where we intend to begin a semester abroad for our entire student body,” Basij-Rasikh stated in a series of tweets.
On August 20th, I shared that our SOLA community is safe. Today, I want to share a few details as to the form that safety is taking.
Last week, we completed the departure from Kabul of nearly 250 students, faculty, staff, and family members. 1/7
— Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 24, 2021
So many individuals played key roles in our departure, and while I can’t thank you all here, I want to publicly offer my gratitude to the governments of Qatar, Rwanda, and the United States for their critical assistance. 3/7
— Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 24, 2021
My heart breaks for my country. I’ve stood in Kabul, and I’ve seen the fear, and the anger, and the ferocious bravery of the Afghan people. I look at my students, and I see the faces of the millions of Afghan girls, just like them, who remain behind. 5/7
— Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 24, 2021
My commitment to the women and girls of my country, just like my commitment to my students, is unwavering. They are the fires that will never go out. Finally, I want to thank you all for the outpouring of love and support. 7/7
— Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 24, 2021
Basij-Rasikh also thanked the governments of Qatar, Rwanda, and the U.S. for assisting the girls escape.
“My heart breaks for my country,” she added. “I’ve stood in Kabul, and I’ve seen the fear, and the anger, and the ferocious bravery of the Afghan people. I look at my students, and I see the faces of the millions of Afghan girls, just like them, who remain behind.”
Her posts were shared just days after she reported burning students’ records “not to erase them, but to protect them and their families.”
Nearly 20 years later, as the founder of the only all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan, I’m burning my students’ records not to erase them, but to protect them and their families.
2/6 pic.twitter.com/JErbZCSPuC— Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 20, 2021
Voice of America News reports that the central African nation has agreed to temporarily host evacuated Afghans however it is unknown how many refugees Rwanda will accept.
Basij-Rasikh was born and raised in Kabul and finished high school in the U.S. through the State Department’s Youth Exchange Studies program, according to the school’s website. After graduation, she enrolled at Middlebury College in Vermont and earned a degree in International Studies and Women & Gender Studies.
She co-founded SOLA in 2008 with the mission of providing access to quality education for girls across her homeland.
Please continue to pray for all those trapped in Afghanistan seeking to get out of harm’s way.
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