High School StuCo Afghan Women Fundraiser

As a student body continually striving to be informed global citizens, we aim to stay aware and attentive to global challenges and respond in ways we are able to.

Before Christmas break, the HS Student Council (StuCo) launched a service project in response to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. After the Taliban swept across the nation and reclaimed the region, Afghan girls and women have been finding it difficult to resume their educational and employment opportunities carefully reconstructed over the last two decades since the Taliban’s last rule, when girls were not allowed to seek education and women were not permitted to pursue professional careers. The female population is fearful that this state will establish itself as the norm again.

Social justice issues like this, especially those pertaining to women’s rights, are meaningful to us. As an all-girls’ school, the empowerment of women is a fundamental theme that is woven throughout our daily lives at school, both inside and outside of the classroom. We are taught to demonstrate gratitude for the education we are able to receive. It is our responsibility to consider those who do not have access to the same opportunities, and as per Seisen’s mission, we are encouraged to be compassionate players in our global society to bring hope and peace. 

HS StuCo executives delivered a presentation describing the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and introduced the NGO to be funded, Women for Afghan Women, a grassroots civil society organization dedicated to help Afghan women and girls exercise their rights to pursue their individual potential to self-determination, and to representation in all areas of life—political, social, cultural, and economic. We planned to raise funds for the organization through selling stickers and dressing down to colors of the Afghanistan flag. Images documenting this process may be found below. 

Through these means, HS StuCo was able to raise 81,765 yen from the outstanding support from students, faculty, and staff. The funds have been delivered to Women for Afghan Women. Currently, donations to WAW support Afghans arriving in the US. As a Seisen community, we were able to secure temporary food and shelter for a family of four who had not eaten in four days and could not afford one more night of shelter. Attached below are two emails from the organization expressing their gratitude for the Seisen community. 

Learn more about Women for Afghan Women

We hope that this HS StuCo project helps to raise more conversation surrounding current events around the world, as well as issues pertaining to women’s rights. We hope that our student body can continue to consider how we can be of service to others. 

2021 Seisen International School High School Student Council

Emilie Ono: President
Xinyue Ma: Vice-President
Seoyeon Yoon:  Treasurer
Farah Mohamed: Secretary
Jiaxing Xu: Communications