My name is Maureen Llort and I am asking you to help a very special friend of mine, Sakina Hassani. I met Sakina in 2024 while she was earning her master’s in industrial/organizational psychology at St. Cloud State University. She spoke via Zoom to the Princeton, NJ chapter of my women’s group, P.E.O. – a philanthropic organization that supports women’s education – about her time in the US, her family and life in Afghanistan, and her excitement to return home. She was clearly a standout, a real change-maker. We were all so proud to be her sponsors. Not only was Sakina a P.E.O. International Peace Scholar, she was also a Fulbright scholar, the best of the best. Sakina returned to Kabul, eager to put her degree to work. She assumed a leadership position with International Assistance Mission. It was a perfect fit. She loved her job. And then, just two and a half months later, the government fell to the Taliban. In one day’s time, everything changed. The bottom dropped out. A promising future ended. “That was one of the two worst days of my life,” says Sakina. “All Afghans, including me, were feeling left behind. We were thinking no one cares about us, no one thinks about us, and to be honest, in the beginning, we were thinking that humanity, support, love – those were all just words. It was so tough to be broken on the inside but to look like I was fine and strong on the outside for my family and co-workers. But then I received emails and messages from friends in the US saying we are here for you. Because of help from friends in the US, I was able to survive.” For a year Sakina waited and hoped for the situation to change, but things only got worse, especially for women, and even more so for her because she is Hazara, a member of a highly persecuted ethnic group. Sakina was in danger. She had to get out. “The second worst day of my life was the day I left my country.” Under Taliban rule, women are not allowed to be out in public except with a male family member. Sakina fled to Pakistan with a friend and her friend’s father, posing as his daughter. She worked remotely during the day and applied to schools at night. And then, a ray of hope. She was admitted to the master’s program in data analytics at Clark University in Worcester, MA. “But then, how am I going to go to the US? I have to show financial documents that I am able to afford my education in order to get a visa. And it happened like a miracle. The generosity and great heart of the P.E.O. sisters, my Minnesota friends, Consulting Psychology and I/O Psychology professionals, and the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund in short time raised enough money for me to get a visa and come to the US. It’s difficult not to cry when I think about everything that was done to support me during the worst time of my life.” In January 2024 Sakina started classes at Clark, working toward her second master’s degree. She is safe. She is free. And she’s earning straight A’s. To be able to qualify for a visa, she had to document she had enough money to pay educational and living expenses for 2024. That money runs out by the end of the year, and she has one more semester to go after that – spring 2024 – and a tuition bill to pay in December. This is where you come in. Sakina needs your help to stay safe in the US and complete her degree. Sakina needs $12,000 to cover her final semester’s tuition and 2 months' living expenses – enough to carry her until she can begin working. Your donation will be deposited with the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund into an account specifically for her. Your gift of any amount will make a difference. Give today, and please share with your friends and family. Thank you!
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