The Open Society University Network has announced the launch of the Afghan Challenge Fund (ACF) as part of its Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative (TSI).

Supported by a $2 million grant from the Open Society Foundations, ACF aims to address the precarious conditions faced by many Afghans arriving in the West after the Taliban seized power in August 2021: Many can only find employment that does not correspond to their skills and expertise. The fellowship program is designed to place newly arrived scholars and civil society professionals in positions suited to their talents and training, so they can thrive and make positive contributions to their host nations and work toward a democratic and pluralistic future Afghanistan.

ACF will offer incentives to universities and NGOs in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to hire the fellows for positions that will benefit them and their communities. The initiative will fund fellowships for scholars in universities, think tanks, and research institutions, as well as for civil society professionals working in the areas of media and journalism, arts and culture, public policy, international development, and women’s and human rights.

“While the world’s attention has understandably shifted to the war in Ukraine, we don’t want to lose sight of Afghanistan,” said Thomas Keenan, director of Bard College’s Human Rights Program and co-director of the Open Society University Network’s Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative. “Since last fall, thousands of brilliant scholars, analysts, advocates, and activists have fled Afghanistan for safe havens elsewhere, and we have not supported them enough as they seek to apply their talents to organizations here or to the future of their country. This new initiative seeks to address this by supporting these outstanding individuals through employment that utilizes their skills and experience and creates opportunities for new visions of a future Afghanistan to emerge.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Riaz Ahmed)