The Story of the Afghan Scholarship
In the fall of 2003 Juniata welcomed a young woman from Kabul, Afghanistan, to campus. Mahmoda (Sonia) Eqbal '07 attended Juniata on a full scholarship as part of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women, a program created at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. With a POE in Peace and Conflict Resolution Sonia's impact on the Juniata campus was immediate as she shared with our community the hardships faced by the people of Kabul, and especially by the women who had been denied an education by the Taliban. Two of Sonia's goals while at Juniata were to return to Afghanistan to aid her country (which she did every summer while a student here) and to help other young Afghan women receive an education.
In 2002 Javaid Zeerak '06 matriculated to Juniata from Afghanistan to earn a degree in International Political Economy. Javaid, too, dreamed of aiding his countrymen and women. He also had a major impact on our campus, ultimately assuming the leadership of the student body as president.
Enter President and Mrs. Kepple. Both were amazed by the drive and personality of Sonia and Javaid. When the idea of selling Afghan carpets to raise money for a scholarship for another student from Afghanistan came up, the Kepples definitely wanted to be involved. With the assistance of Javaid, who had connections through his father with the non-government organization GRSP, and Sonia, who researched and visited several carpet-makers while in Afghanistan, the plan began to take shape. Through the GRSP, we were assured that the carpet-makers would be paid fair wages and that no child labor would be involved, both critical to sealing the deal. In addition, Afghans, mostly women, were provided with a source of income that had been removed from them during the rein of the Taliban. And, of course, if successful, Juniata would be able to welcome another talented Afghan student to campus.
In 2005, with Javaid's help, the first shipment of 18 carpets was received from Afghanistan. By November of the following year the entire shipment was sold and another 21 carpets were ordered. The second shipment finally arrived in late May 2007 and six were sold at Alumni Reunion Weekend in early June.
With the help of Javaid and Sonia, the Afghan Rug Scholarship program is moving forward. The funds already received will assist Juniata in hosting three Afghan women this fall.
And what happened to Sonia and Javaid following graduation? Javaid is in Kabul, Afghanistan, serving as a consultant for the Rural Enterprise Development Programme Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. He plans to return to the United States to pursue graduate studies within the next year. Sonia currently resides in Washington, D.C., where she is Program Assistant for Grants, Trainings and Rule of Law Departments for the United States Institute of Peace. Sonia also plans to pursue graduate studies in the U.S. before returning to Afghanistan to help her country rebuild.
They both remain involved with the rug scholarship program.