Today, in conjunction with the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, a partner organization of the University of Oxford, I am proud to announce that I am making a gift of $2.5 million to endow a scholarship that will allow at least one Afghan woman to pursue her master’s degree at Oxford every year. The scholarship, which I’ve chosen to name the Afghan Women Leaders Fund, will provide 100% of the course fees for an eligible master’s degree along with an annual stipend to cover food and accommodation costs as well as a grant to offset certain student expenses. In addition, scholarship recipients will undertake an extensive leadership training program delivered by the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust. I myself am an alum of the Weidenfeld-Hoffman Scholarships and Leadership Program at Oxford, and it is my privilege to make this gift to honor the resilience and bravery of Afghan women. The scholarship will be available for students applying to join Oxford in September 2027, and full details are available by following the link below. tinyurl.com/bdasct8p I want to be clear that this gift does not come from SOLA, and it is independent of the funds we raise there to support our operations. In the spring of 2024, I was one of 12 individuals provided with $20 million by the philanthropist Melinda French Gates to launch our own philanthropic giving. I am endlessly grateful to Melinda and her team at Pivotal Ventures for their trust and belief in my vision of the world-changing power of a generation of educated Afghan women. I’m fully aware of the visa brake currently in effect in the UK, and this gift is in no way meant to be a political statement, nor should it be interpreted as one. I intend this gift to offer opportunity and possibilities for women whose bravery is the light in the darkness, both now and in years to come. At SOLA, we educate more than 40,000 students between our boarding school in Rwanda and our online program SOLAx. We are proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we are not satisfied. The need is immense. The work is generational. A few years ago at the UN, I asked: “What is one girl worth? She’s worth everything – and she can do anything.” I am so happy to be in a position today where I can make a financial gift that places the tools of success in the hands of deserving Afghan women. This is all we’ve ever asked: not to be pitied or patronized, but only to have access to the tools we need to build our own futures, our own successes. At Oxford next fall, an Afghan woman leader’s journey will begin. Another Afghan woman will come the following year, and it will continue, year after year, woman after woman. I am eager to see the future each one of them will build.