The Afghan Institute of Learning in Dearborn works to empower all Afghans by providing comprehensive, quality education, training, and health services in an effort to foster self-reliance, critical thinking skills, community participation, and economic independence. The organization was founded by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi in the 1990s with educational opportunities in refugee camps in Pakistan. The institute also opened 80 secret schools operated for 3,000 girls in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, training 80 teachers. The secret schools closed after the Taliban were removed from power, and since 2001, the organization has opened and expanded learning centers, health and legal clinics, training, and conferences. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute is offering emergency food aid and producing personal protective equipment. Its schools and centers are reopening with social distancing and sanitizing procedures in place. Because the organization is not registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and does not have a U.S. bank account, all donations flow through Creating Hope International, allowing donors to get tax relief on their donations. Yacoobi is also the vice president of Creating Hope International, which is based in Dearborn.
