The Mission of the Noor Setaara Foundation

My husband and I met in California, although now we live on the East Coast. We’ve been together for almost 20 years and have three amazing children. Behzad was born in Afghanistan and spent part of his childhood there before he and his family had to flee in the wake of the Russian invasion, in 1980. We’ve always made it a point to ensure that our children understand their Afghan heritage and nurture their connection to Afghanistan—the country, its culture, and its colorful history.

On Nowruz—a celebration of spring that’s also known as the Afghan New Year—the whole family spends the day together, enjoying all the special traditions. We don our traditional Afghan clothes, cook traditional Nowruz foods such as Sabzi Chalau & Kolcha Nowruzi, and dye eggs, all while listening to Afghan music. The kids love it when Grandma joins in to fly kites especially when she teaches them how to “kite fight.” As the day draws to a close, we play the traditional egg-breaking game.

Of course, celebrating Nowruz and other Afghan customs is a lot of family fun, but we don’t shield our kids from the current state of Behzad’s home country or sugarcoat the reality of Afghan life under the Taliban. We help our kids understand what’s happening—at least, to the extent that anyone can understand it. It’s important to us that our children learn about their sisters and brothers in Afghanistan, what their lives are like, and how much we all have in common, despite the superficial differences. They also appreciate how important it is to work hard and get a good education—a right that Afghan girls are systematically denied.

Out of Intense Emotions, Inspiration

After the fall of Kabul, in August 2021, we began to hear distressing reports that impoverished men were selling their daughters, that women were harassed, beaten, stripped of their power and independence, and forced into prostitution. Girls were being sold into marriage at very young ages, ripped from their friends and family, and robbed of their childhood. The more I learned, the more I felt called to this cause. That’s when I found Too Young to Wed, an organization that works to empower girls and end child marriage globally.

It was as clear as day for me: this is where I must focus my efforts to help.

One girl, in particular, inspired me to take action. I saw a CNN report about a 9-year-old named Parwana, whose father had sold her to a much older man because the family couldn’t afford food to eat. She was sold by her father as a commodity, not an autonomous human being.  In the footage, you can see Parwana resist as she is pulled by her new husband to go off to her new life. As I watched, I felt my heart break into a million pieces. I felt her confusion and desperation, I felt the powerlessness of her mother and the agony they both felt.

Luckily, Too Young To Wed was able to rescue Parwana and secure stable, safe living arrangements for her, her mother, and her siblings. And I knew that it was imperative that I do whatever was within my power to help.

None of Us Are Free Until All of Us Are Free

I immediately reached out to Too Young To Wed, told them that their mission was now my mission, and vowed I would do everything possible to support their efforts. And so began the partnership between the Noor Setaara Foundation and Too Young To Wed.  Our primary venture, at least to start with, will be a fundraising event, scheduled to coincide with and to celebrate Nowruz 2024. 

We hope that this event will give people a glimpse into what Afghanistan and Afghans have to offer the world, while simultaneously raising much-needed funds to help support TYTW and its boots-on-the-ground efforts to save young girls from being sold into marriage.

Join Us!

Won’t you join us—for this very special fundraising event and beyond? Please take a moment to sign up for our mailing list so you can receive updates on what’s happening with the Noor Setaara Foundation, Too Young To Wed, and our Nowruz fundraiser.