Impact & finances
Donor confidence depends on honest reporting. This page sets out what the initiative runs today, how we measure it, and what every dollar covers.
An honest baseline, not a finished record.
The initiative began as a privately financed pilot and is now established as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The figures here are drawn from the 2026 program narrative the board is working from. They describe a real, operating program — and they are deliberately conservative. Where a measurement system is still being built, we say so plainly rather than publishing a number we cannot defend. As our monitoring framework produces audited and board-approved data, this page will carry it.
Key figures.
What the two programs comprise today.
Being introduced
Standardized diagnostic testing, aggregate attendance reporting, and a participant vs. non-participant comparison are part of the monitoring framework below. Until those systems have produced a full cycle of data, we report program scale and cost — not outcome percentages.
How we will know it is working.
The evidence on Kankor performance points to a practical strategy: repeated, measured exposure to exam format and curriculum scope. The same discipline applies to how we evaluate ourselves. The framework below is what the initiative is committed to operating.
- Baseline diagnostics at intake
- Monthly assessments through the term
- Attendance dashboards for both programs
- Participant vs. non-participant comparison, where ethically sound
- Kankor participation tracking for eligible students
- Long-term directional target: at least five university admissions each year
The operating budget.
The budget distinguishes the current operating baseline from a planned expansion model. Figures are from the initiative narrative and will be replaced by board-approved statements as the Initiative's finance function is established.
Combined operating budget
| Program | Current / month | Current / year | Projected / month | Projected / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program 1 — Nishegram after-school | $200 | $2,400 | $800 | $9,600 |
| Program 2 — Kabul Bridge Cohort | $480 | $5,760 | $480 | $5,760 |
| Combined total | $680 | $8,160 | $1,280 | $15,360 |
Program 1 — expanded staffing model
The current $200/month baseline covers limited instruction. The expansion model adds subject-specific teachers — three recruited locally, with English instruction recruited externally — at $800/month.
| Role | / month | / year |
|---|---|---|
| Master trainer | $200 | $2,400 |
| English instructor | $300 | $3,600 |
| Physics & chemistry instructor | $150 | $1,800 |
| Reading & writing instructor | $150 | $1,800 |
| Total staffing | $800 | $9,600 |
Program 2 — Kabul Bridge Cohort
The Kabul cohort is budgeted per student at roughly $80 per month, covering housing, food, transport, materials, utilities, internet, and welfare supervision.
| Scenario | Students | / month | / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At launch, 2025 | 4 | $320 | $3,840 |
| Current cohort | 6 | $480 | $5,760 |
Even at the expanded combined level of $15,360 a year, the budget remains modest relative to the scale of educational disadvantage the program is built to address.
How the initiative reached this point.
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1895–1896
Nuristan is annexed into the modern Afghan state and renamed. That history of marginalization still shapes the province's limited institutional development and exclusion from educational opportunity.
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2023
The proof-of-concept after-school program launches in Nishegram, privately financed.
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2025
The Kabul Bridge Cohort launches as a second proof point — four students relocate for intensive preparation.
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2026
Nuristan Education Initiative is established as a California nonprofit and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity — creating a governance and fundraising platform for the work.
A small budget, real leverage.
$40 funds a village student's year. $80 sustains a Kabul Bridge student for a month. Every gift is accounted for.