One learner, one laptop, one mentor: Educating girls in Afghanistan

When the Alekain Foundation launched the Claim Your Diploma Initiative in November 2024, they received 831 applications within two weeks. These applicants came from across 22 provinces and six ethnic groups in Afghanistan—a powerful testament to hope, resilience, and an unquenchable thirst for education.

In this episode, we'll take you inside a journey of transformation that started over a year ago as a quest to provide an accredited, asynchronous, and self-paced high school education to young women and girls in Afghanistan. The program is funded by the Alekain Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in the State of Arizona, offered by Smart Schools International, an accredited private high school that provides high-quality academic programs and curriculum paired with the flexibility and support students outside the U.S. need to be successful, and complemented by group therapy education sessions to help students process stress, strengthen emotional well-being, and build the resilience to keep growing.

Today, the program supports 29 bright, resilient girls in its inaugural cohort, representing five ethnic groups and nine provinces. Through this initiative, Alekain provides no-cost secondary school classes between grades 9 and 12, culminating in an internationally accredited high school diploma that opens the way for higher education. The program follows a fully asynchronous model, allowing students to complete courses and milestones at their own pace, based on their availability. Each student is paired with a female American college student who provides academic, personal, and psychological support through a robust peer mentorship program. And because access to technology is a significant hurdle, the Foundation provides each girl with a laptop and a monthly internet plan.

But the support goes deeper than academics and technology. Parents are engaged from the outset—they attend interviews to express consent and elaborate on their hopes and dreams for their daughters, then sign a parental agreement during onboarding. English as a Second Language courses are offered to ensure inclusion of students who don't initially qualify, facilitating their potential entry in future admissions cycles. In June 2025, the Foundation launched mental health support through two professionals who provide group therapy education to students, along with mentorship and training for peer mentors. This focus on mental and emotional well-being is a necessary innovation that ensures students achieve academic success and meet program milestones. After graduation, the Foundation intends to offer advising and assistance with college admissions to help students pursue higher education abroad.

The Foundation is committed to supporting 30 students annually between 2026 and 2029. And the need is urgent: for over four years now, nearly 4 million girls have been barred from secondary schools in Afghanistan, with the number denied access to higher education remaining unknown. This isn't a COVID-like loss of learning—it's a denial of basic human rights and a crisis for the future of an entire generation.

The theory of change driving this work is simple yet critical. When girls can access secondary education, they can build better, more stable, and resilient futures for themselves, their families, and societies. They are less likely to marry young, more likely to lead healthy and productive lives, they earn higher incomes, and they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.

In today's episode, you'll hear how this initiative is working to turn that theory into reality—one laptop, one mentor, one diploma at a time.

More about our guests below

Nasir Kaihan

Nasir Kaihan is the founder and president of the Alekain Foundation. He is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Evaluation at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, where he also serves as an Assistant of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning for the Education for Humanity Initiative. He graduated with a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University and was a distinguished Fulbright program fellow in 2018.

Nasir has over eight years of experience working in programming, program reviews, monitoring and evaluation, and policymaking focused on migrants, IDPs, returnees, and host communities with UNESCO; advancement in higher education with the American University of Afghanistan and International University partnerships with USAID, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Mexico. His career and research interests lie in the access, success, retention, and graduation of refugee and bilingual learners, girls, and other disadvantaged segments of society. Nasir has led, attended, and presented at more than ten conferences and workshops in Afghanistan and internationally.

Laura Payne

At Smart Schools International, academic manager Laura Payne transforms the lives of students across the globe by helping them earn their American high school diplomas. Her role is more than academic support—it’s a cultural exchange that bridges differences and inspires learning for both her and her students.

Laura works with students from diverse cultures, languages, and life experiences, which she describes as the most enriching part of her job. “Speaking with my students is educational for me,” she says. “I learn through them and discover how vast and varied the world truly is.”

This mutual learning also opens the door for her students to better understand American culture and customs. For Laura, this exchange is vital to their growth. She encourages them to ask questions freely, no matter how simple or unfamiliar the topic may seem. “What may be common knowledge for Americans can be entirely new to them,” she explains. “That’s why I always say: Ask, ask, and ask again.”

Laura’s mentoring style goes beyond academics. Many of her students dream of studying at American universities or working in the U.S., and they rely on her as a trusted source of guidance. She takes pride in being more than an advisor—she’s a mentor, a cultural guide, and a problem-solver for their aspirations.

Her students span the globe, from Saudi Arabia to Latin America, England, and beyond—anywhere with access to the internet. For many, the program is a practical and affordable way to achieve their American diploma. Some even pursue dual diplomas, completing Smart Schools’ program while continuing their education in their home countries.

Laura’s dedication ensures that each student, regardless of their background, feels supported, informed, and empowered to reach their goals. Her advice? “Make the most of me as your advisor—ask anything and everything. I’m here to help you succeed.”

Through her commitment and curiosity, Laura Payne exemplifies what it means to be a mentor in a global education program, enriching lives one student at a time: I have worked in education for over 20 years and found this to be my passion. I have pursued psychology in my undergraduate and postgraduate work. I am ABD with a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and I am working on a Master’s in counseling. I find motivation as an area that I strive to help build in students and people. Motivation can be tricky, as what motivates one does not motivate another.

Ginger Smith

I am a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in Indian, Ohio and Kentucky.  I have a Bachelor's Degree from Johnson University in Knoxville, TN and a Master's Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.  I am grateful for the training and passion that both of these schools instilled.

I spent several years in Owensboro, KY working with the International Center to help resettle and provide mental health support for refugees who have found safety from their country of origin.  It changed my world view, more than any missionary work I have ever been a part of.  I have learned so many beautiful lessons and experienced some of the most powerful reminders of  hope from the men, women, and children that I have worked with.

The funding provided curriculum and the opportunity to help newly resettled individuals and families in Owensboro find hope in the idea that their experiences in the resettlement are in many ways universal to the experience of fleeing from a home that has become unsafe to a new home that feels anything but that. Using the curriculum, we formed groups that  focused on the common phases of resettling to expect, the common mental health and physical challenges that are seen, and ways to manage and seek help when they  need more support in finding emotional wellness.  I was fortunate enough to find ways to continue supporting families in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area when we relocated in 2021.

I have spent nearly 20 years working with families who need support to improve their marriages, their parenting, and their view of self. I have also spent nearly 20 years working with children, teens and adults who have experienced trauma.  I have seen the ways these memories and experiences have affected relationships, mental health, view of self and others.

I love my work and feel so honored to get to participate in any way that I can in supporting and learning from families who have experienced such traumatic circumstances that fleeing from their homes was the only option.

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