Afghan Students in Iran Relocate to Rwanda to Attend the School of Leadership Afghanistan

Tehran – For many Afghan families living in Iran, it is more important than ever to give their daughters the opportunity to access education. Back in their home country, women and girls have lost the right to attend secondary and tertiary schools, following the political takeover by the Taliban in 2021 and the ban imposed by the de facto authorities. 

“Considering the situation in Afghanistan, (where) girls cannot go to schools, we decided to send our daughter to SOLA [School of Leadership, Afghanistan],” says Zahra, mother of a young Afghan girl. “We were already familiar with SOLA from when it was operating in Afghanistan, and we were aware of its academic level.” 

Established as a full-time boarding school in 2016, SOLA was the first and only school of its kind in Afghanistan. Its mission was and still is to create a safe and nurturing environment where girls can pursue secondary education, with the aim of cultivating future leaders. 

In August 2021, the school was forced to relocate from Kabul to Rwanda to allow its students to continue their path towards independence. SOLA is now aiming to admit girls from the Afghan diaspora groups worldwide, particularly from migrant families who had to flee the country following the Taliban takeover.  

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has stepped in to facilitate this process. So far, it has helped five girls between the ages of 10 and 15 to relocate to SOLA’s campus. 

“We as parents could not get (our daughter) the proper education we wished for. Seeing our daughter so interested in astronautics, with so many wishes and dreams, we want her to achieve them all,” added another parent. 

Coordinating closely with the families, the IOM Resettlement Team provided comprehensive assistance to the girls. Apart from navigating their applications for exit permissions, the team corresponded with relevant governmental bodies and guided the girls through the entire process until the final stages. 

Given that each girl's family held different documents and statuses in Iran, the team adopted different strategies and approaches to acquire the necessary paperwork according to each student’s circumstances. 

Furthermore, the team collaborated with SOLA and IOM Rwanda to secure admission documents and visas. This concerted effort included arranging flights for the group and ensuring they were accompanied by a female escort all the way from Tehran to SOLA. 

“Every Afghan girl is a light, a flame burning against the darkness,” said Shabana Basij-Rasikh, SOLA president and co-founder. “I’m grateful to IOM Iran and to all our allies worldwide who are working to ensure girls’ access to the human right of education.” 

After long months of planning and persistent efforts by the families and the IOM Operations Team, the girls were immensely happy to finally arrive at their boarding school with the promise of academic progress and a more secure future.  

The parents also shared their happiness and their hope for continued efforts to guarantee the right to education for Afghan girls: “IOM and other international organisations (should continue to) support young girls through finding schools and educational centres around the world and help them to get there. Also, (they) can provide the chance for Afghan girls to get educated through online tools.”

IOM Iran will continue to assist with the relocation of Afghan students to SOLA as part of its resettlement activities. “We welcome the support from the Government of Rwanda to promote complementary pathways for Afghans,” said IOM Iran’s Chief of Mission, Lalini Veerassamy. “IOM Iran is collaborating with multiple partners and government agencies to ensure that Afghan youth in Iran can access all available opportunities, both within and outside the country. We should leave no child behind.”