Why I need your Help to Let Sahar Speak
I’m hosting a social impact campaign that will empower the next generation of Afghan female journalists
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By kellykimball, UPTOGOOD Ambassador
Imagine you lived in a country undergoing immense political and cultural change, but only foreigners and members of the opposite sex were reporting on it.
Imagine if you and thousands of people like you were barred from opportunities to share your story and change the way that people read about your country’s struggles, triumphs and history — simply because opportunities to speak, write, edit, and publish were few and far between. An initiative that addresses this growing issue is Sahar Speaks. They work to directly address the systemic silencing of talented and driven Afghan female journalists, one story at a time.
As an Ambassador for UPTOGOOD, I have the privilege of identifying projects that I believe will make a huge difference in the world. I then facilitate or independently host partner campaigns on our platform so that even more people can be inspired by the work these projects have chosen to pursue. One such project is Sahar Speaks, founded by international reporter Amie Ferris-Rotman. It is a yearly program that equips female journalists from Afghanistan with the skills, network and publishing opportunities necessary to help close the gap between male and female Afghan reporter employment rates. The Huffington Post then publishes their multi-media stories and individual participant profiles.
In a country with over 9000 male reporters and just 2000 female reporters, no women were employed as foreign correspondents for major news sources before this initiative existed — not the BBC, The New York Times, the Associated Press or others. Since the founding of Sahar Speaks, this has finally started to change.
With your help, more women can be offered the opportunity to redefine the kinds of stories coming out of Afghanistan. In fact, it is the only program of its kind to institute high-quality journalism from Afghan female correspondents in a global media outlet through world-class training and mentorship.
This initiative has already gone through its pilot year, and with your help their mission can continue for years to come.
The way it works is that a group of 10 journalists are chosen via an application process and are then received training in Kabul. They learn to enhance their reporting on a range of women’s issues, using social media, pitching, writing and editing, conducting interviews, creating multimedia stories and promoting the story. There is also an educational session on how to overcome cultural perceptions of the woman’s place in the work force, including how to address harassment. All of these can continue to exist for new waves of Sahar Speaks participants if funding exists.
I’ve spent over a decade in school learning about the world from a textbook distance, and I’m excited to finally put that knowledge to practice by helping other women achieve their career goals through my UPTOGOOD campaign for Sahar Speaks. As someone who is a journalist as well, I know how rapidly the field of reporting is evolving. We need diversity, and we need more women to work in this field to ensure it’s success, authenticity and ethics. According to research done by UN Women, putting more women in the global workforce will undoubtedly help boost the global economy, enhance the success and efficiency of workplaces, and ensure an overall cultural well-being. We can have this happen easily and effectively in the field of journalism for talented women in Afghanistan who have the potential to positively influence the world with their storytelling.
As part of it, I’ve also come up with a set of promises that followers of my campaign can hop onto if they choose. These “PROMISEit” pedestals, as they call it on UPTOGOOD, help attach concrete actions to our best intentions.
- Spread the word about Sahar Speaks by sharing this UPTOGOOD impact campaign and tagging your favorite international news source or foreign correspondent. Be sure to tag @Sahar_Speaks and @UPTOGOODorg while you’re at it!
- Share a photo of yourself with a message showing why you want to #LetSaharSpeak, and tag @UPTOGOODorg for a chance to be featured on their social media.
- Bookmark, read and share The Huffington Post page where talented Sahar Speaks participants showcase their work and profiles.
With your help, Sahar Speaks can train more women. In turn, the world will continue to hear and read Afghan women’s stories, in their own words, through the power of the global press.
Also, every dollar donated to this cause will go to the following aspects of this initiative:
- $25 to transport one Sahar Speaks participant to training for a week.
- $50 to pay for a safe space in Kabul to train female journalists for a day.
- $100 to pay for an Afghan female journalist/photographer to work for a day for a major news outlet.
- $500 to go towards a much-needed stipend for a Sahar Speaks participant.
Whether you are sharing this article, reading these women’s stories, following my UPTOGOOD profile, or donating, I look forward to the positive change that will come out of concrete action. I’m excited for us as we help make the foreign media a much more inclusive and representative place.
HERE ARE YOUR CALLS TO ACTION!
Does this cause or being UPTOGOOD resonate? Here are some things you can do to become part of our community!
- WATCHit: In a world influenced by visual media, I invite you to check out my impact campaign on UPTOGOOD for Sahar Speaks by clicking below. If you like it, please take action and share it with your friends!
- READit: Read and share this article as well as The Huffington Post webpage with good-hearted people, activists and storytellers you know by tagging them with the hashtag #LetSaharSpeak. Let them know that you care about empowering these incredible women!
- FOLLOWit: Follow me on UPTOGOOD and subscribe to UPTOGOOD and Sahar Speaks on twitter to stay in the loop. Together, let’s start the conversation for good everywhere.
About the Writer: kellykimball is a rising journalist and University of California, Irvine alumnus with degrees in Literary Journalism and Spanish Literature & Culture. She is an Ambassador for UPTOGOOD, a video based fundraising and social action platform for social impact projects. As an Ambassador, Kelly curates her favorite inspirational videos and develops impact campaigns that make the world a better place. Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in her blog post and her work is her own and do not necessarily represent the views of UPTOGOOD.
