A Letter from Leslie M. Schweitzer – Founder & Chair, Friends of AUAF
Dear Friends and Supporters of AUAF,
We are pleased to share encouraging news: thanks to extensive outreach, advocacy, and steadfast support from our broader community—including many dedicated donors such as you— after a brief pause, U.S. Government (USAID) funding has been restored so that AUAF can resume it’s spring semester immediately. This critical development brings students back to class after Nowruz—a meaningful celebration symbolizing renewal and new beginnings.
Restoration of funding provides crucial short-term relief, but significant work remains to secure AUAF’s long-term sustainability. The University must accelerate efforts to restructure, innovate, and fund programs for high school girls as well as co-ed undergraduate and graduate programs in-country. Your continued generosity remains vital as AUAF builds toward this future.
Currently, we are close to completing a matching challenge—doubling a generous donor’s $250,000 gift to $500,000. Every contribution brings AUAF closer to this goal and strengthens its capacity to navigate the future and continue our vital mission.
Education remains vital to Afghanistan’s future. AUAF graduates are the next generation of leaders who drive prosperity and disrupt cycles of radicalization within their villages, communities, and homes. In many ways, an AUAF education goes beyond its recipient.
Your generosity enables AUAF to continue to provide life-changing world-class education, to innovate programs to reach more students in more ways, and to endure as the only institutional American legacy remaining in Afghanistan.
Sincerely,
___________
In Afghanistan, Nowruz is especially meaningful. The Guli Surkh Festival (Festival of Red Flowers) in Mazar-i-Sharif marks the occasion, as vibrant red tulips bloom across the fields—a symbol of hope and resilience, much like AUAF’s students who continue their education against all odds.
Just as Nowruz ushers in a fresh start, the reopening of AUAF represents a new chapter of opportunity for our students. Their education—temporarily out of reach—is now back in their hands.
Thank you for being part of this moment.
While this funding provides immediate relief, we must continue working toward long-term sustainability for AUAF.
