Whether it’s a girl stepping into an underground classroom in Afghanistan, a startup turning food waste into opportunity in Lebanon, or a translator making truth accessible in Arabic and Pashto, these are the stories of progress that don’t always make the news.
Below is a snapshot of the programs, partnerships, and people that are advancing freedom, education, and dignity in one of the world’s most complex regions.
Local Innovation, Global Impact
Through our Innovation Hub, IBB awarded $45,260 in grants to 14 grassroots initiatives—selected from more than 370 applicants across the Middle East and Afghanistan.
What might look like modest enterprises are, in truth, smart, focused responses to urgent local needs. Here are just a few examples:
- Eshmoon (Lebanon): Turning apple waste into chocolate fruitrolls while empowering rural women and reducing import dependence.
- Able Taxi (Lebanon): Providing safe and accessible transportation for people with disabilities.
- Puff Snacks for Babies (Lebanon): A nutrition-first enterprise supporting local agriculture and child health.
They’re proof that the most lasting solutions come from within.
Truth Through Translation
This quarter, IBB published two bold and timely books that speak directly to the challenges of our time:
The Bitcoin NGO Guide, a practical resource helping activists harness decentralized tools to secure their financial freedom.
The Sentinel State, a sobering investigation into surveillance and censorship in China.
Education as Resistance
In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where girls’ education is banned, our underground schools continue to operate in secrecy and strength.
- Students Enrolled: 1,935
- Teachers: 50
- Subjects Taught: 12, including math, English, physics, tailoring, drawing.
- Classrooms: 36
Every girl in these classrooms—and every teacher leading them—is part of a quiet revolution. Together, they’re reclaiming the right to learn, think, and thrive.
The Fight for Knowledge Access
Our Bayt al Hikma 2.0 program (House of Wisdom 2.0) is breaking down barriers to information—across languages and platforms:
- 42 new articles published in Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, and Pashto
- 27 previous articles revised
- Three thematic magazine issues released on free expression, water rights, and cryptocurrency
Meanwhile, our Wikipedia initiative created or expanded:
- 378 Arabic articles (20M+ views)
- 149 Pashto articles (261,000+ views)
- Dozens more in Farsi/Dari and Kurdish
Voices That Influence Policy
This quarter, IBB thinkers and writers appeared in major outlets like The Hill, Reason Magazine, More To Her Story, The UnPopulist, and The Daily Economy—contributing vital perspectives from the region:
- What does Saudi Arabia need to make a deal with Israel? – Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, in The Hill
- Syria’s Revolution Has Betrayed Its Promise – Amjad Aun, in Reason
- Under Taliban Rule, a Translator Works to Keep Knowledge Alive – Reid Newton, in More To Her Story
- Tariffs Failed in the Middle East—America Shouldn’t Make the Same Mistake – Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, in Reason
- Inside the Secret Classrooms Defying the Taliban’s Ban on Girls’ Education – Reid Newton, in More To Her Story
By offering insight from those directly affected, these pieces help recenter the conversation around lived experience rather than outside assumption.
What’s reshaping the region isn’t loud or headline-grabbing. It’s the quiet work of people building something better—and IBB is building with them.
From knowledge to action, and from translation to transformation, the work continues every day. These programs are not acts of charity. They are investments in people who are already leading. These individuals are innovating and resisting in the face of enormous odds.
We invite you to stay engaged. Share these stories. Stand with those reshaping the future of the Middle East from the ground up.
