FAQs
Right to Learn Afghanistan works to ensure donor dollars are used effectively and transparently to undertake responsible and sustainable development programming in the challenging environment of Afghanistan.
Donations to Right to Learn Afghanistan have helped improve the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan women and girls. Over the past two decades, Right to Learn’s work has helped raise the country’s literacy rate, improve the quality of teaching, promoted reading and access to books, and put learning in the hands of students, teachers and anyone with a curious mind by adapting new technologies to help realize the right to education in Afghanistan. Read about our field programs, and see the results of these programs in our annual reports.
Today, Afghan women and girls face daunting conditions in seeking education. But this does not change the impact that education makes; in fact, it makes their access to education all the more essential and life-changing. Literacy is irreversible, and it is intergenerational: literate mothers raise literate daughters. Social change is birthed through education, and women and girls who can access education will be the leaders of tomorrow. When you support our work, you are investing in women and girls who will ultimately win their rights and who can fight to build a society where women and girls can live in dignity and in peace.
Right to Learn Afghanistan has a proven track record whereby all of our donor investments are well managed, systematically monitored and evaluated, and most importantly the funds produce direct and immediate results. Right to Learn Afghanistan practices the values of “small aid”, whereby we operate with minimal overhead, ensuring that funds are directed to our targeted beneficiaries: Afghan women and girls.
Yes, we are able to continue transferring funds into Afghanistan since the Taliban take-over in August 2021. While it is not currently possible to transmit funds via international bank transfers as we had done until recently, we are able to securely send funds through money transfer services and a mobile money app, and to pay many vendors we work with electronically. This ensures that the funds are targeted directly towards needs, and that staff and vendors on the ground remain safe.
At Right to Learn Afghanistan, we work hard to ensure accountability for every dollar donated. Part of this commitment to donors includes safeguards to ensure no funds are channeled through the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan that came into power in August 2021. We know that our donors do not want any funds to end up in the hands of the Taliban, and neither do we; that’s why we take stringent measures to track funds and ensure they reach those they are intended for.
Over many years, Afghanistan has presented a complex and challenging environment in which to manage development programming. It’s true that corruption and waste can be rampant there. That’s why we’ve worked hard since our establishment in 1998 to constantly evolve a system of accountability. We use numerous policies, checks and tools to ensure financial accountability including the prevention of fraud, results for investment, sustainability of projects, and quality control. We closely monitor all projects, work with our partners to strengthen their capacity in areas such as good governance and project management, and we enforce a zero tolerance policy for financial mismanagement (click here to view our Anti-Corruption Policy). We are audited annually and our financial statements are publicly viewable on our website. Our Programs Management Team, including our Finance Managers in both Afghanistan and Canada regularly monitor expenditures, receipts and reporting. Close monitoring of all projects is undertaken by our staff, under the coordination of the Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Officer.
We work hard to see results from our work, and we want to be accountable to our many supporters and donors who have placed their trust in our project management.We are also proud to maintain low administrative costs. Our staff, executive and volunteers all operate with minimal overhead, ensuring that funds are directed to the targeted programs and beneficiaries in Afghanistan. Our expenses are kept to a minimum through volunteer contributions, by maximizing in-kind services and by taking advantage of the cost-savings offered by modern means of electronic communication such as video calling and email. In Canada our entire team works remotely which reduces overhead expenses and maximizes the donation dollars that reach communities in need in Afghanistan.
We are a registered Canadian charity. Right to Learn Afghanistan operates in good standing with the federal government (Canada Revenue Agency #887718203RR0001). We are also registered as a limited liability non-profit corporation through Industry Canada. We are audited annually and publicly disclose our audited annual statements. You can peruse this website to see our financial records. Revenue Canada enforces rigorous accountability standards for registered charities.
We automatically provide CRA approved income tax receipts for donations of $30 or more. We send income tax receipts for smaller amounts upon request.
If you believe, as we do, in the transformative power of education, we may be a good match for your support. Our projects are education-focused and we have a solid track record of results: we have contributed to quality education for thousands of students each year, and
- Since 2008, have graduated 10,000 teachers
- provided literacy classes for 5000 students
- 3000 women have graduated from our life skills program
- distributed nearly 300 school libraries and over 40 community libraries
- Equipped over 200 schools with science labs
- Equipped teacher colleges with libraries, computer labs, internet connections and DDL Lite
- provided access to continuing education for more than 1000 female students
- Created the DDL digital library which houses 6,000 learning materials in 9 languages and accessed by thousands of people every month
- Trained hundreds of educators in basic librarianship, reading promotion and literacy pedagogy
- Over 50 scholarships awarded
- More than 20,000 books distributed to schools
- A school constructed in Nangarhar and another refurbished in Kabul
- and much more!
We carefully document results to measure the change we seek. We’re confident that to make lasting social change, the best place to invest is in education, and specifically in the empowerment of girls and women and facilitating their access to literacy and educational opportunities. That’s because decades of international development policy and practice have proven that when women and girls have an education, the whole society benefits. We invite you to be part of this life changing transformation through your support.
We’re small and therefore nimble. The small budgets of many of our projects make project operations manageable and allow us maximum control over their outcomes. We enjoy close collaborative relationships with our implementing partner organizations and we have an accurate picture of the evolution of our projects on a daily basis as a result of our hands-on approach and our consistent interest in capacity building for better project results. Our Programs Management Team applies their collective expertise in project management, budgeting and sustainable planning. Team members contribute to monitoring and evaluation activities, regularly collecting data as projects are implemented in order to evaluate progress towards results. The modest budgets of our projects help ensure resources are stretched to maximum effect, leaving little room for waste.
Right to Learn Afghanistan benefits from contributions from individuals and communities across Canada. Canadians fundraise for us through projects ranging from Breaking Bread potluck events and Red Pashmina Walks to Galas and recently, virtual events.
Individual Canadian donors sustain our programs through monthly or annual donations made by cheque or online.
In addition, we receive donations from foundations and institutional donors, service clubs, and government funding from Global Affairs Canada, the International Development Research Centre, and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.
Royalties from The Breadwinner and Parvana’s Journey by Canadian author Deb Ellis have also helped sustain our projects. An incredible CAD$2,000,000 has been received since 2000 thanks to this generous commitment from Deb Ellis.
Yes. Our mission has not changed. We are committed to realizing the right to education for all. We will stay in Afghanistan, and at the same time we are also preparing to meet the needs of a growing displaced population that includes thousands of women and girls who have had to leave the country.
