Program at N.J. school allows Afghan girls to join English classes virtually
PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 and in the process took away the rights of women and banning girls from receiving an education.
But a program in New Jersey is allowing Afghan girls to be a part of a class even if thousands of miles away.
In a classroom at the Hun School of Princeton, Dr. Seth Holm teaches virtual English classes to Afghan girls and young women.
Most are in Afghanistan. Some join in virtually by candlelight from a country where girls are forbidden to get an education.
"They're so hungry for learning," Holm said. "They almost don't understand what I say when I ask, 'Is this putting you at risk?' Because they tell me, 'We're always at risk.'"
CBS2's Christine Sloan spoke to them in Farsi -- their language and her native tongue -- but they're eager to practice English.
"After meeting Dr. Holm and the other girls in the class, I started, you know, getting hope," one of the young Afghan women said.
Their faces were hidden on CBS2 to protect them.
The program is the brainchild of a 21-year-old, who escaped Afghanistan after the Taliban took over.
"It was a really scary day," Zahra said.
Now in college, Zahra came to the Hun School on a post-graduate scholarship. She sends the young women internet bundles for the virtual classes started nearly a year ago.
"Now they have this community, and a little bit of hope," Zahra said.
"At first, I thought that I am alone and a girl who cannot get education. Then I met a lot of girls," one young woman said. "Most of the girls are committed to follow their dream. My dream is just to go to school."
"We did leave a very powerful legacy there, and these girls and young women in this class are a huge part of that legacy," Holm said.
It's an American legacy Zahra says makes a bright future possible for them.
Holm teaches the class on Thursday nights, but the program is expanding, with young women in Afghanistan teaching girls virtually, as well.
The Afghan girls' financial assistance fund helped Zahra come to the Hun School and continues to provide help to other Afghan girls and young women.