Shorecrest Senior Hosts Dinner to Benefit Education in Afghanistan

While living in Pakistan after leaving neighboring Afghanistan during the war with Russia, Amina Shah’s family had little money. However, her parents wanted her to attend school, so they put what money they could afford toward her education.

But going to school in the region proved frustrating. Schools would request money for textbooks that would never arrive. Teachers often didn’t show up to class, and the quality of education was very poor.

“I didn’t know much when I was there,” Shah said. “I realized I was missing out on a lot.”

Now a senior at Shorecrest High School, Shah hopes to help students get access to education in the country where her family originated.

On Wednesday, March 9, Shah and her family will host an Afghan dinner at Shorecrest High School for her senior project. All the proceeds will go to Ayni Education International, which supports schools in Afghanistan.

The event will feature a speech by Ayni founder Julia Bolz, who will talk about girls in Afghan culture. Shah’s family will serve traditional Afghan cuisine and host a raffle.

Shah moved with her mother and siblings to Seattle in 2002, when her mother enrolled in a program that allows people to sponsor widows from the region. The family was supposed to come during September 2001, but world events delayed their trip.

Once the family made it to Seattle, Shah started studying at a Spanish-speaking elementary school. However, having never heard the language, and being in the United States, she thought people at the school were speaking English, she said.

The family soon relocated, and Shah was enrolled in the English as a second language program at North City Elementary in Shoreline. Shah said she played a lot of catching up at first, not having much of an education while in Pakistan, but she soon became excited about learning English, practicing writing and speaking by herself after class.

“I would practice writing words, but I don’t know if they were real words,” she said. “I knew they had to have vowels.”

Shah said her experience at North City left an impression on her about the value of education, which inspired her to find a way to help Afghans gain access to education.

“I wanted to start an orphanage or a school,” Shah said. “I researched what others did online. I saw someone who started a school in Kenya, but I thought that would be too hard.”

Eventually, Shah’s mentor led her to Bolz, and the two helped Shah plan and organize the event.

Shah said she has already reached her goal of raising $1,000 and expects at least 60 attendees for Wednesday’s event.

After graduating, Shah said she hopes to go to a four-year university. She said she is anxiously awaiting word from Western Washington University, her top choice.

“Nobody has gone a four-year school in my family,” Shah said. “I want to set a good example for my nieces and nephews. I want them to have the opportunity to go to four-year college, too.”

For more information and reservations for the dinner, visit Shah’s website: http://www.aminasdinner.com/