“Firoz” means turquoise, a precious gem found in almost every corner of Afghanistan. With its brilliance mirroring the colors of the clear skies above the Hindukush Mountains, Firoz signifies prosperity. Its essence is that of strength and brightness. Under those skies lies the country of Afghanistan, a land of abundant beauty, youth, and energy. Most stories about Afghanistan conclude that young Afghans lack opportunities for education and economic development. This is where our story begins.

Firoz Academy’s model begins with an unwavering confidence in every young Afghan’s talent, perseverance, and vision for peace. For us, each Afghan youth is Firoz — bright, strong, and valuable. All these students need is a chance, an opportunity. For many of today’s brightest young Afghans, each passing day denies them the education, mentorship, and economic opportunity. Firoz aims to change this reality, by offering a beacon of hope for those Afghans.

Firoz’s mission is to provide world-class, after-school instruction in math, English, and computer skills. The practical skills we teach pave pathways for our students to participate in, benefit from, and contribute to the ever-growing global services market—right from their homes—as call-center workers, tech entrepreneurs, or government officials. We are fortunate to live in a time where being from a land-locked country does not need to mean a lack of opportunities. For Afghanistan, technology can not only become the leading source of income for the homes of thousands of Afghans, but it can also, in fact, shape society as a whole. Here are three ways of how we work to build a better Afghanistan:

We provide access to practical, high-quality instruction in math, science and technology to both men and women in Afghanistan. We envision building a society with equal opportunities in a country where it’s often not feasible and even discouraged for women to work outside the home. Our long-term vision is that educating both men and women will decrease the gender gap in education and economic opportunities.

In the past decade, Afghanistan has suffered from a loss of talented young Afghans to neighboring or European countries. While the reasons are complex and multifold, one leading factor has been a lack of education and economic opportunities in the country. Firoz aims to bring both world-class education as well as high-paying jobs to the homes of Afghans. In this way, Firoz plans to provide opportunities for Afghans who are living in Afghanistan and directly contributing to the country’s prosperity.

While Afghanistan has been the recipient of global aid for over a decade, recent global socio-political changes have halted many avenues of aid for education in the country. Foreign aid for education is planned to decrease even more significantly in the near future. We therefore need well-crafted, for-profit and socially responsible business models to efficiently take the place of foreign aid. Firoz aims to lead this movement forward to a more self-sufficient, more prosperous Afghanistan.