Afghanistan is facing one of the most devastating education crises of our time. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, more than 2.2 million girls have been barred from secondary school, over 100,000 women have been expelled from universities, and core subjects have been stripped from boys’ curricula. An entire generation is at risk of being left behind.
Yet even in the face of repression, Afghan innovators are refusing to give in. Underground schools, online platforms, and grassroots initiatives are creating alternative pathways to learning. Among these initiatives is Kick-Start, launched by Afghan software developer Ahmad Zia Yousufi.
From Collapse to Creation
Yousufi’s story illustrates both the scale of the challenge and the resilience of those who confront it. Born in Kabul to a family of educators who taught girls in secret during the Taliban’s first rule, he grew up with the belief that access to education was worth any risk.
“I have education in my DNA,” he says.
In 2019, he launched Dastyar, a startup designed to connect Afghan freelancers with international companies. The venture provided young Afghans with badly needed income and experience but collapsed when COVID-19 hit and the Taliban returned.
Rather than abandon his mission, Yousufi shifted his focus. Exiled in Germany, he began competing in international hackathons, using them as platforms to demonstrate Afghan talent. With his brother, he went on to establish Kick-Start, a nonprofit dedicated to training and mentoring Afghan youth in digital skills.
In 2024, Kick-Start trained 80 Afghan girls in web development and design, expanding opportunities for young women denied access to classrooms at home.
A Movement the Taliban Cannot Stop
But Yousufi’s work is not an isolated story. Across Afghanistan, educators and entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to keep learning alive. They refuse to accept a future defined by authoritarian restrictions, and are building networks of education and opportunity designed to endure long after repression ends.
Kick-Start rembodies the kind of innovation championed by Ideas Beyond Borders’ Innovation Hub. The Hub invests in local entrepreneurs who confront urgent challenges with practical, sustainable solutions. In Iraq, it is hydroponic farming that addresses food security. In Lebanon, olive-based enterprises that keep families working through crisis; in Afghanistan, digital education initiatives like Kick-Start are preserving access to knowledge in defiance of extremist bans.
Change is happening because innovators on the ground are creating it. The Innovation Hub gives them the resources and recognition to turn bold ideas into lasting impact.
The Wider Impact
The repression of education in Afghanistan is both a national tragedy and a global warning. Extremists everywhere understand that the most effective way to control a society is to control what people can learn. Afghans like Ahmad Zia Yousufi show that there is another path. By harnessing technology and global networks, they are keeping the door to knowledge open for those who need it most. As Yousufi explains:
“If you can dream big and stay committed, you can change more than just your life, you can change your country.”
Supporting innovators like him is about safeguarding the universal principle that access to knowledge is the foundation of freedom.
Support the Mission
👉 Help Afghan youth keep the door to education open. Your support allows Ideas Beyond Borders to empower innovators like Ahmad Zia Yousufi, fund initiatives that train women in digital skills, and expand access to knowledge where extremists try to shut it down.