Online courses
Running nowLive classes in eleven subjects, taught entirely by volunteers.
- 11 subjects
- 300 students in Round 5
- Live, not pre-recorded
Programs
Six programmes, one purpose: keep Afghan girls learning
Everything AYLA runs exists because a specific barrier stops a specific student. A closed university. A test fee. A month of mobile data nobody can pay for.
Duolingo English Test
RecruitingA certified English score is the gate to a foreign university. We pay for it.
- 40+ coupons since 2023
- 4 selection rounds
- Recipients now studying in the US & Europe
Scholarships
Running nowFinding the scholarship is one problem. Filling in the form is another.
- Runs every round
- Applications, essays & documents
- One-to-one review
Digital access
OngoingA class no one can connect to is not a class.
- ~300 students funded in Round 5
- Monthly data packages
- Platform training included
Teacher support
RecruitingVolunteers who are supported come back for the next round.
- Every teacher is a volunteer
- Moderator paired to each class
- Alumnae become moderators
Community & advocacy
OngoingEducation work, and the humanitarian work that makes it possible.
- 100 students at the 2019 peace summit
- Ramadan food distribution
- Reporting & advocacy
Course catalogue
Every class that ran in Round 5
Eleven subjects between June and September 2023, each pairing a volunteer teacher with an AYLA moderator. Filter by subject area to see what a round looks like in practice.
- Beginner
Basic English
Foundations of reading, writing, speaking and listening for students starting English from scratch.
- Teacher
- Golsum Bayat
- Moderator
- Taieba Safi
- Ran
- 3 June – 29 August 2023
- Beginner
Basic English — Group 2
A second beginner cohort opened to meet demand, running in parallel with the first.
- Teacher
- Zahra Hussaini
- Moderator
- Mitra Akrami
- Ran
- 3 June – 29 August 2023
- Intermediate
Intermediate English
Conversation, grammar and comprehension for students moving toward academic English.
- Teacher
- Sarah Shoniker
- Moderator
- Mariam Ali
- Ran
- 1 June – 31 August 2023
- Intermediate
Intermediate English — Group 2
A parallel intermediate cohort. Students in this class rated their end-of-course confidence at 9 or 10 out of 10.
- Teacher
- Mohammad Maisam Sultani
- Moderator
- Khojasta Salehin
- Ran
- 13 June – 29 August 2023
- Advanced
Advanced English
Fluency, register and academic vocabulary for students preparing for university study abroad.
- Teacher
- Saharnaz Shaheen
- Moderator
- Mariam Ali
- Ran
- 1 June – 31 August 2023
- Beginner to B1
German Language
German for students targeting study in Germany and Austria. AYLA's German teachers have offered to cover B1 and B2 test fees for students in this class.
- Teacher
- Fahima Rashidi
- Moderator
- Elina Sadat
- Ran
- 2 June – 25 August 2023
Computer Skills
Practical computer literacy: files, email, documents, spreadsheets and the tools needed for online study and remote work.
- Teacher
- Sonya Nawabi
- Moderator
- Zohal Noori
- Ran
- 1 June – 29 August 2023
Graphic Design
Design fundamentals and industry tools — one of the clearest routes AYLA students have into paid remote work.
- Teacher
- Mohammad Amin Rezaei
- Moderator
- Nasima Yousfi
- Ran
- 1 June – 30 September 2023
Email and Essay Writing
Professional email, structured essays and the written English that scholarship applications are judged on.
- Teacher
- Basira Nazari
- Moderator
- Atifa Wardak
- Ran
- 3 June – 29 August 2023
Scholarship Tips
Finding funded places, assembling documents, writing personal statements and submitting applications on time.
- Teacher
- AYLA leadership board
- Moderator
- AYLA leadership board
- Ran
- Runs every round
Feminism & Self Empowerment
Rights, self-advocacy and leadership — a space to think about the situation students are living in, not only how to study through it.
- Teacher
- Cara Cruickshank
- Moderator
- Marwa Ali
- Ran
- 3 June – 30 August 2023
Source: AYLA Online Courses Final Report (Round 5), August 2023. See how the cohort rated these classes
A round in numbers
What it takes to run three months of classes
Round 5 is the round AYLA has published the most detail about, which makes it the honest benchmark for what a donation buys.
300
Students in Round 5
Enrolled across eleven simultaneous classes between June and September 2023.
Source: Round 5 report, August 2023
$5,100
Cost of running Round 5
Granted by Ideas Beyond Border — covering internet packages for roughly 300 girls and 10 volunteers.
Source: Round 5 report, August 2023
100
Students at Youth Summit for Peace
University students took part in AYLA's two-day peace and education summit in Balkh and Baghlan, August 2019.
Source: Round 5 report, background section
4
Rounds of coupons delivered
Four selection rounds for the Duolingo English Test initiative have closed, each with an open application process.
Source: AYLA Project Report, May 2025
Support a programme
Pick the barrier you want removed.
A test coupon, a month of data for a class, or a whole cohort's exam fees. Every one of these is a line item AYLA can point to in its next report.