What Sahar Education does

Sahar Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in Washington State, USA (Tax ID 26-4215477), headquartered in Seattle at PO Box 17672. It delivers educational programs to Afghan girls and young women who have been barred from formal schooling above grade 6 since the Taliban's March 2022 reversal on girls' secondary education. The operating model is community-led: Sahar works through trusted on-the-ground partner organizations across Afghanistan, with classes often conducted in secret or hidden locations to protect participants. The program portfolio comprises three core offerings—Teaching Vital Skills (underground IT and coding, English language, tailoring, literacy, and health workshops), a Women's Empowerment Program addressing conflict resolution, early marriage prevention, and maternal health awareness, and a Digital Literacy Program serving 300+ girls annually. To date, Sahar reports 250,000 total girls educated through 2024, 39 schools built or supplied, and 23,000 girls served annually as of 2021.

The underlying technology is not a software platform but a community-based educational delivery architecture: a network of partner organizations coordinating curriculum, logistics, and safety in a restricted regulatory environment. The "novel method" is the clandestine operational design itself—running IT and coding classes underground in Taliban-controlled territory. There is no API, mobile application, or digital product surface; the organization's digital footprint is limited to marketing (website, Instagram, email newsletter) and donor-facing platforms.

The business model is entirely donation-based. Sahar is a 501(c)(3) with no earned revenue, no products sold, and no pricing model. Funding streams include individual donations, corporate sponsorships, the GlobalGiving platform ($578K raised), the Givebutter sponsorship platform, and stock transfers (DTC Clearing 0164, Code 40, Account #2843-8974). Go-to-market is community-led via partner networks in Afghanistan combined with donor-facing marketing executed through Instagram, email, website content, events, and earned media. The US entity functions as the fundraising, governance, and program oversight hub; field execution sits with in-country partners.

Name

Sahar Education

Legal name

Sahar Education

Website

https://sahareducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sahar Education is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers underground educational programs—IT/coding, English, digital literacy, and women's empowerment—to Afghan girls barred from formal schooling by Taliban restrictions, funded entirely through donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

Keywords

• Girls education programs
• Nonprofit education services
• Digital literacy training
• Women's empowerment programs
• Community-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Sahar Education raises funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and charitable giving platforms to support educational programs for Afghan girls.
2. Stock Transfers: Accepts stock transfers as an alternative giving method, with DTC Clearing 0164, Code 40 and Account #2843-8974

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sahar Education provides free, community-based educational programs to Afghan girls and young women who are banned from formal schooling above grade 6. Core offerings include Teaching Vital Skills (underground IT and coding classes, English language learning, tailoring, literacy, health workshops), a Women's Empowerment program covering conflict resolution, early-marriage prevention, and menstrual/prenatal/postnatal health, and a Digital Literacy Program reaching over 300 girls annually. Programs are delivered through trusted on-the-ground partner organizations operating in secret locations across Afghanistan and are funded entirely by charitable donations.

Product overview

Sahar Education offers a unified portfolio of educational programs for Afghan girls who cannot attend formal school due to Taliban restrictions. The core offerings include Teaching Vital Skills (IT/coding, English, tailoring, literacy, health workshops), Women's Empowerment programs (conflict resolution, health awareness), and a Digital Literacy Program. Programs are delivered through trusted on-the-ground partners across Afghanistan, often conducted in secret. The organization serves girls through community-based learning rather than a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teaching Vital Skills Program Educational programs equipping Afghan girls with essential knowledge and tools for their futures, including underground IT and coding classes, English language learning, tailoring, literacy, health, and women's empowerment workshops. Targeted at Afghan girls and young women banned from formal education above grade 6.
• Women's Empowerment Program Comprehensive program designed to help young girls in Afghanistan champion autonomy and forge resilient female leaders, addressing conflict resolution, prevention of early marriages, and awareness around menstrual, prenatal, and postnatal health.
• Digital Literacy Program Program impacting over 300 girls annually, equipping Afghan girls with essential digital skills for higher education and the modern workforce, and serving as a conduit to empowerment, education, and employment while bridging the digital divide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000 total girls educated through 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GlobalGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobalGiving serves as Sahar Education's primary online fundraising platform, providing the organization with donor access, verification, and visibility as a Top Ranked and Effective Organization on their platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aschiana Foundation: Provides education and vocational training to working children and street children in Afghanistan, including girls. Comparable model of in-country educational delivery for vulnerable Afghan youth.
• Code to Inspire: Nonprofit founded by an Afghan woman that teaches coding and technology skills to Afghan girls. Extremely close functional overlap with Sahar's underground IT/coding and digital literacy programs targeting the same banned-from-school cohort.
• Women for Afghan Women: Afghan women's rights and education nonprofit operating inside Afghanistan with shelters, education, and empowerment programs. Directly comparable mission (women's empowerment, education access) and operating environment (Taliban-restricted Afghanistan).
• Afghan Institute of Learning: Founded by Sakena Yacoobi, it provides education, training, and health services to Afghans with a strong focus on girls and women. Closely comparable in mission, target population, and curriculum.
• Pen Path: Operates underground and home-based schools for Afghan girls banned from formal education. Almost identical delivery model (secret, community-based classes) directly comparable to Sahar's approach.
• Learn Afghanistan: Online education initiative supporting Afghan girls and young women with remote learning programs. Comparable mission targeting the same out-of-school population via an alternative delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Malala Fund: Global girls' education fund advocating for policy change and funding local education organizations. Functionally comparable as a girls' education funder, but operates globally and at much larger scale rather than as a direct service provider.
• Room to Read: Major international nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education across multiple countries. Comparable in mission (girls' education, literacy) but operates at global scale and is not Afghanistan-specific.

Regional players

• Partnership for Education for All (PEA): Afghan-led nonprofit supporting accelerated primary education for out-of-school children. Directly comparable in-country focus and target population, though more narrowly focused on primary-age rather than secondary-age girls.

Others

• GlobalGiving: Online crowdfunding and fundraising platform for nonprofits, including Sahar Education itself. Listed as a core GTM partner for Sahar; analogous ecosystem enabler assisting many comparable Afghan-girl-education nonprofits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sahareducation
• Instagraminstagram.com/sahareducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/sahareducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sahar-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sahar Education