Help Support DV Survivors Go to College!

TW: DV

This past month, the Asiyah Women's Center has supported multiple clients who have experienced severe physical violence and death threats. Their crime? Wanting to go to college.

One client, a seventeen-year-old girl, received acceptances to multiple and was threatened by family members to be sent back to her country of origin to get married. Another client was at risk of experiencing an "honor killing" after she got an acceptance to an extremely prestigious law school. And Another client, is a full time grad student at Columbia University. She came to our center after escaping the Taliban and is at risk of getting her visa not renewed because she can not afford to pay for the fall semester.

These are there stories...

A's Story:

Last April, the Asiyah Women's Center received a distressing call from a 17-year-old girl.

She told us that her parents were taking her to the airport. She was going to get married in another country, against her will - to her cousin.

Her parents were not going to allow her to finish high school. They wanted to make sure she would get married before she could even finish her high school education. They did this to her two other sisters. And now, it was her turn.

While her parents loaded up the car with multiple suitcases to go to the airport, we picked her up and took her to the Asiyah Women's Center. She didn't have time to leave with anything. She came to the center, with just the clothing on her back. We provided shelter, clothing, food, and services to connect her with colleges.

She finished high school with honors, and received a nearly full scholarship to a prestigous university in California. She will be going to college this fall.

We are raising money for some of her living expenses. We have an active amazon wishlist for her dorm room items.

B's Story:

We picked up B from the hospital after she was severely physically abused by her parents and many other family members. She was accepted into law school, but her parents believed that she needed to get married instead.

She tried to reason with them for months, but it became clear that she was now at risk of experiencing an "honor killing". They had plans to send her back to her country to be murdered.

She will attend law school this fall, but did not receive a loan for her living expenses. She does not have enough money for rent, food, and other living expenses. We are hoping to raise at least three months of rent, groceries, and living expenses for her.

We also want to send her ready for school - we have items on our amazon wishlist such as her desk, mattress, and study materials. You can find our amazon wishlist in the link tree on our instagram bio.

N's story:

We met N last year, after an immigration lawyer, Alice, connected her with us. With the fall of Kabul, and the collapse of the Afghan government. N was in serious danger of being killed by the Taliban. As a revolutionary and an educated woman - she was going to be targetted first by the Taliban.

N was denied refugee status, and denied entry in the United States. But after receiving an acceptance letter from Columbia University. She was given a student visa to come to the United States.

N can not afford to pay for her fall semester. Her parents have already sold all of their gold to pay for her spring semester, including their wedding bands. If she does not pay for the fall semester, she will not get her visa renewed and will risk getting deported.

We are raising the funds to cover N's fall semester.