How did the program come about?
I was teaching English to refugees as a volunteer through a Perth charity and heard about a woman who had left Afghanistan under a programme offered by the British government when the Taliban took over. She was passionate about helping women still in Afghanistan and had a list of over 200 women who wanted to learn English. I began teaching four students in Afghanistan online in the spring of 2023, still as a volunteer, devising my own lessons. During the summer, I understood that many women wanted to study for an IELTS certificate, a gold standard English test used for university entry and visa applications to English-speaking countries. I read about the exam, bought the book and changed my content to teach for this test. Initially we did online classes, but I have changed this as explained in the About. It is not currently possibly to take the IELTS test inside Afghanistan (see FAQ), but women can travel to take it in neighbouring countries and it is still a good and practical programme to study with clear goals.
I created this website as a resource for my own students, for those currently without assistance and to provide basic information to new students and new volunteers about how they can learn or assist.