Zahra Tawana Discusses Online Education for Afghan Women and Girls at the National Young Feminist Leadership Conference

Zahra Tawana, an ALPA instructor and James Madison University graduate student, discussed online education in Afghanistan at the 2024 National Young Feminist Leadership Conference held on March 28th.  Tawana highlighted the critical role ALPA has played in providing online education to Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule.

While acknowledging the importance of online education, Tawana argued it cannot fully replace in-person learning due to several challenges on the ground. These challenges include high demand for traditional classrooms, unreliable internet access, frequent power outages, economic hardship, and lack of employment opportunities.

Hundreds of young feminists from across the United States and beyond convened for the Feminist Majority Foundation's National Young Feminist Leadership Conference, held over March 23rd weekend. The eagerly anticipated event, which resumed after a COVID-induced hiatus, drew over 250 young feminists and 70 speakers to Washington D.C. Participants engaged in a series of panels, skills workshops, and discussions focused on feminism and social justice issues.

On the panel, Zahra Tawana was joined by Sima Samar, former Head of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Organizations, Makhfi Azizi, Director of FMF Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan, Palwasha Hassan, Mina's List Senior Technical and Program Director, and Gaisu Yari, an FMF Scholar.