Previous Initiatives

Introduction  Bakhtar Educational and Research Institute has designed an educational program during a critical situation, where Afghan girls and women are totally deprived of learning and access to education, job and public life. Day to day they have extremely eliminated from all aspects of society.  On the other hand, access to basic rights such as education, job opportunities and public life is a crucial element of SDG. Considering the situation on the ground, this educational program titled “one-year educational program for female students in Afghanistan” will provide them the opportunity to stay engaged with modern education, improve their skills and get access to scholarship and education programs abroad.  The program is implemented by the support and cooperation of lecturers, professors, and academic staff, who have vast experienced in various universities and private higher education institutes in Afghanistan, but now have been relocated abroad, mainly in Europe. The program is held online (either once or twice a week) and support the participants to improve their knowledge and expertise by learning new skills in different fields.  Objectives   Admission requirements:  The program is designed to support only female students who are currently in Afghanistan and have been denied further education.  Let me quickly explain the admission process. First, the program was announced, and female students from various provinces with different background applied to this program. They could also opt their major and then each lecturer made individual appointment with each/group of the female student(s) and made interview. Finally, they were enrolled in different topics, and some attend the whole program.   The general admission criteria are being motivated, interest in pursuing an academic field and or possess work experience. Moreover, being in the last years of high school or beginning of university education in the relevant fields.   Desired topics:  Other subjects can be added when the program is extended, and volunteer lecturers are identified. It also depends on funding opportunity as well.   Program duration and beneficiaries:  The program consists of two academic semesters, each lasts four and half months according to academic curriculum of Afghanistan. Currently the program covers 120 female students from various provinces.  The first semester has been practically started in June 2023.   Funding required for the program  Bakhtar Institute staffs and lecturers have been tirelessly working on the program on volunteer basis. In the following we try to elaborate the necessity to funding opportunities:   The participants, who are mainly female students do not have access to job market at all. Financially they mainly rely on male partners and members of their family. So, the first challenge they encounter is not being able to provide internet to connect in class regularly. Furthermore, stationary and printing facilities, purchasing teaching books and material have been another problem, that they are not able to provide them properly.   On the other hand, a number of professors and lecturers teaching voluntarily in this program live inside Afghanistan and are undoubtedly facing economic restrictions.   It is evident that one of the motivating indicators for better progress of the program is to eliminate restrictions and create opportunities for easier access to classes and enabling them to have stationary and learning materials which can only be achieved with the financial support of donor organizations, through donation, and charity.   Budget   No  Item  Cost  Per semester  Number of participants  Subtotal  4 months  Total 8 months  1  Internet   40 Euro  120  4800 Euro  9600 Euro  2  Stationary   3 Euro  120  360 Euro  720 Euro  3  Teaching materials  5 Euro  120   600 Euro  1200 Euro  4  Lecturers  Volunteers         5  Project coordinator   Volunteers         6  BI administrative costs  Nil         Total   11.520 

21st of September coincides with the International Day of Peace. Bakhtar Institute (BI) jointly with Afghanistan Peace and Justice Organization (APJO) celebrates the international day of peace in a different way – with a 1000 valuable messages of citizens, university lecturers, elites, religious leaders, students, civil and cultural activists, and authors/writers. To achieve this goal, BI and APJO request your kind cooperation. You can share your written ideas/analysis with us (within 150-200 words) either in English, German, Persian/Dari, or Pashto on one of the following topics: 1. What are the dimensions of a sustainable peace and the role of citizens in maintaining the peace? 2. What is the significance of peace in individual or social life in the post-conflict societies like Afghanistan? 3. What are the impacts of honesty in peace and a transparent literature than multi-faceted generalization on a society? 4. What are the types of violence and its destructive role in hindering the shaping of social cohesion and solidarity? 5. How can we utilize the “International Day of Peace” in establishing peace in our country? What could the Afghanistani Diaspora do on this day? 6. How could sympathy in social mobilization be promoted in order to achieve the rights of citizens? 7. How could someone cope with dogmatism and promote tolerance instead in order to achieve a lasting peace in countries such as Afghanistan? What is the importance of tolerance in a multi-ethnic/religious society? 8. What are the social and cultural platforms of a just and sustainable peace? 9. From your point of view, what is the main key for a psychological and social tranquility in Afghanistan? 10. To what extend the rule of law in establishing peace and a psychological security in Afghanistan is important/vital? 11. How to secure the rights of victims of war in order to achieve a viable peace? 12. What does sustainable peace based on the use of non-violent struggle mean to you? 13. From your personal perspective, what are the criteria of a sustainable and just peace? 14. What is the relationship among a lasting peace, Sharia Law, and human rights values such as equality, human dignity, and citizenship rights and how could the connection points of the mentioned values with one another be searched? 15. What are the relations of preservation or elimination of the current laws in Afghanistan with establishing stability and peace in the country? How could we use the current laws of Afghanistan in achieving stability and peace? 16. From the perspective of Islam, in order to establish a legitimate government, what is the role of legitimacy and popular acceptance or use of force and coercion? 17. To what extend are you hopeful for a peaceful, stable and just future of Afghanistan? Through what ways a peaceful future could be achieved in Afghanistan? 18. Achieving a viable peace through mutual acceptance, accepting diversity and plurality, or through univocal? Which one is applicable in societies like Afghanistan? 19. In the current situation, what are the roles and responsibilities of the international organizations in establishing stability and peace in Afghanistan? 20. What do you suggest in order to achieve a lasting peace, social tranquility, psychological security, and economic welfare in Afghanistan? What role can Afghanistani youth and women play in this regard? 21. Has peace been established in Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban insurgents to power? If yes, please elaborate with example. If not, then what is the best possible solution? 22. How do you assess a five year later-Afghanistan? 23. From your point of view, what is the fundamental issue that needs to be solved within one next year? 24. What is real peace and how could it be achieved? Please write your personal opinion! 25. What role can women play in bringing peace and shaping a stable society in Afghanistan? Important notes: 1. In order to publish your views in the program, while sending the messages, kindly share with us also your picture, name and surname, work title/position, city of residence, Email address, and the contact number in a separate attachment. 2. If you think that publishing your message could pose threat to you or your family members, please mention it clearly in your message. We will refrain from mentioning your real identity and it will be also possible to use a pseudonym instead. 3. If you agree, please express your consent to us to publish your message along with your photo and position with especial hashtag on BI and APJO’s official websites. Note: Please refrain from sending message to the messenger of the page. We will publish only those messages that have been sent via the below forms English Link form: https://tinyurl.com/Peace-day-2022-EN Farsi Link Form: https://tinyurl.com/Peace-day-2022 We thank you for your close cooperation! Warm regards, Bakhtar Institute and Afghanistan Peace and Justice Organization

August 15, 2021 was a turning point that led to a great transformation in Afghanistan. On that day, the President left the country and the Taliban officially seized power by entering the Afghan Presidential Palace ARG. The consequent shift from an Afghan republic to an Afghan emirate has had many bitter consequences for Afghanistan and its citizens. One of the consequences was that more than 200,000 well-educated Afghans, including engineers, doctors, academics, journalists, artists, activists, politicians and civil servants, left the country with no prospect of whether or when they could return. Now, a year after the collapse, we see that most of the investments of the last 21 years are gone; democratic values ​​have disappeared and there is no clear state structure. Afghanistan is once again experiencing a step backwards in all areas; this time much deeper and much more serious. Our people struggle with many hardships, including extreme poverty and unprecedented unemployment. Media and freedom of expression are restricted; Women and girls are deprived of their basic rights; Civic participation, respect for democratic values, including representation, and the right to self-determination have sunk to zero; an inclusive state does not exist. In addition, radicalism, fundamentalism and extremism are on the rise; and the radical religious structures are replacing the educational and cultural structures that pose a serious threat to the country’s future. At this critical juncture, the Bakhtar Institute, as an educational and research organization based in Berlin-Germany, seeks to focus and work on various areas including social, economic, cultural, and civic relations with Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora. We hereby invite the Afghan and international experts, academics, artists, journalists, politicians and members of civil society, regardless of gender and age, to participate and to send in their articles, opinion pieces, observations and analysis on any of the following topics: You can send your written contributions in Farsi/Dari, Pashto, English and German until August 8, 2022 to info@bakhtarinstitute.org. In order to produce first-hand knowledge for a broader audience in Germany, we expressly encourage contributions in German. We are currently unable to offer financial compensation; however, the Bakhtar Institute will publish your articles on the Institute’s website and its social media channels; This way you reach a wider audience. In addition, we try to ensure that your contributions reach German politicians and decision-makers, as well as international individuals and organizations with an Afghanistan focus. As a professional and independent organization, the articles are the intellectual property of the authors. The articles do not necessarily reflect the views The Bakhtar Institute respects freedom of speech and does not oppose any of the articles. However, the institute’s team will comment on the articles and help with the editing. After the final approval of both sides, the articles will be published. Bakhtar Institute thanks you in advance for your interest and cooperation. We look forward to your interesting articles. Monday, 16 July 2022 Berlin, Germany