Caught between Trump and the Taliban: ZanTimes needs support

“If schools hadn’t been closed, I could have escaped this marriage and pursued my dreams of becoming a journalist.” — Khatima, 15, high school student, Afghanistan

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, every girl like Khatima has been banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Everything is closed to women and girls … universities, parks, public bathhouses, gyms, beauty salons. Their faces must be covered, their voices silenced. That is what the new Taliban law says, women must disappear from the public.

We know Khatima’s story because we have been reporting on the plight of women and girls like her since August 2022.

We are Zan Times, an award-winning, Afghan women-led media organization that was founded in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Through our reporting, we have brought international attention to critical issues like forced marriages and sexual violence perpetrated by the country’s new rulers.

The bulk of our funding has come from non-governmental organizations— until now. These funds are frozen or suspended following recent executive orders by the U.S. President Donald Trump, putting our work at immediate risk. We need your support.

We now need to raise CAD$120,000 to continue operations and our vital, independent reporting in 2025.

At Zan Times, an essential part of our mission is to empower Afghan women journalists to write our own stories and shape our own futures. For us, empowerment means sharing knowledge, skills, equipment, and, most importantly, opportunities to work — to show what we can do.

Since the Taliban took over, four out of five women journalists working in Afghanistan have been forced out of the profession. Last year, we trained 30 women journalists in Afghanistan through Zoom webinars. Two of our trainees in Afghanistan interviewed Khatima and 16 other teenage girls who were forced into marriage for an article. Another trainee reported on what it takes to run and maintain a secret school for girls.

We have already selected 30 Afghan women for our 2025 class. That training is now in jeopardy due to the halt in international funding. Please give these Afghan women and Zan Times the power to stand up to the Taliban and fight for their rights and freedom.

What we need to continue this vital work:

$80,000 – training 30 Afghan woman journalists for 6 months (including stipends so the women can pay for internet, phones, and other essential supplies)

$20,000 – operational costs

$20,000 – creating job opportunities for mentees

Fundraising Goal: CAD$120,000

Our stories have been co-published by several international partners, including The Guardian , The Fuller Project , MsMagazine , Women’s eNews , Impact Newsletter , Nadja , Courrier International and others. These reports have earned us a Human Rights Press award and Freedom of Speech Award from Palm Foundation in Germany.

We want to continue this important work.

And please sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

Thank you for believing that our voices matter and that our stories deserve to be told.

Zahra Nader,

Editor-in-Chief