February 13, 2023 – In January of 2023, Karen DeVoogd, Conflict Resolution Education Trainer for the Domestic Harmonizer Program (DHP) in the United States had the opportunity to travel to Chittagong, Bangladesh and connect with Afghan female students at Asian University for Women (AUW). These amazing women are on student visas to study from Afghanistan, where they are no longer able to attend school.
The connection with these students initially began in the Spring of 2022, when they participated in an AUW online Master in Education class taught by California State University, Dominguez Hills professor, Dr. Glenn DeVoogd. As a part of this course, educational concepts from the DHP, such as communication, peer mediation, and constructive conflict were infused into this course by DHP team leaders, who served as guest lecturers. Instructional units from the DHP Virtual Center were shared and analyzed to equip these students to construct curriculum for their future schools to include conflict resolution concepts and skills.
The January visit to Chittagong included many different special events for Ms. DeVoogd. She met the students who had participated online last spring, face to face. It was an emotionally powerful experience, as many had life threatening tales of escape. In spite of these traumatic experiences, they were full of shared gratitude and unstoppable hope for the future. These women shared dreams of returning to Afghanistan some day to develop schools that include peacemaking and mending of trauma as part of the learning. There were also introductions to a new group of Masters students who will participate in the curriculum class this Spring 2023. The DHP has been asked to teach guest lessons in Conflict Resolution Education again to a new group of women. This group will be made up of students from across Asia, including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Yemen, and Afghanistan. In addition, there was an AUW commencement ceremony held on January 21st. The graduates were addressed by esteemed guests and professors, including Dr. John Sexton from New York University, and the former president of Denmark, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. Additionally, personal written messages of congratulations were read during the ceremony from Former Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton and former First Lady, Laura Bush who are supporters of AUW.
The last event was the AUW international conference in Chittagong, Bangladesh. “Women’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Transforming Girl’s Education” was the panel discussion that included the DeVoogds, Dr. Amy Thompson from West Virginia University, Dr. Svetlana Bochaver from Yandex, Russia, and two Afghan students Ms. Fatima Qasemi and Ms. Zulikha Malekzai, both Masters students from the Spring 2022 curriculum class. It was a profoundly important discussion that again revealed the excellence of these young Afghan women and their devotion to make the world a better and more peaceful place. They wholeheartedly assume the responsibility to help women who are still trapped under repressive laws in Afghanistan.
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