Westfield High School senior Sara Dustova began the school year with a different kind of summer behind her.

Dustova, 17, spent her summer focused on service. She traveled on a 21-hour flight to the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan to teach computer skills to girls, where she led workshops on coding and entrepreneurship, with a focus on independence in a country where opportunities for women are often out of reach.

“As a Tajik myself, I found my trip there to not only be academic, but also personal,” she stated in a release from the school. “When I was working with these girls, who were exact mirrors of me, it made my passion grow.”

Dustova is the founder and CEO of the Noor Nonprofit Corp. The organization is dedicated to empowering Tajik women through technology by providing access to computers and helping equip them with the skills and resources needed to improve their education, economic prospects and quality of life. The organization provides workshops for digital-skills training.

“My workshops, although small, made me feel like I was slowly making the impact I wanted to create,” Dustova stated. “After a year of working to grow Noor, it felt nice to finally see some results.”

While in Tajikistan, Dustova also conducted nationwide research for a paper on women’s digital literacy. She traveled through villages gathering data, listening to voices and uncovering the systemic gaps that keep girls from education. It was a challenge, as some parents were resistant to the process.

“They simply did not want to do anything that was considered outside of social norms,” she stated. “And me, a random girl coming from America, asking to interview them was definitely not a normal occurrence.”

Ultimately, Dustova was able to build trust and collaborate with families and create projects that felt approachable

“I remember sitting with two girls and listening to them whisper to me all the dreams that they had,” she stated. “The last thing they said was, ‘If I was born a boy I could have done all of this, but all I can do is just dream.’”

Dustova plans to study computer science after high school graduation and grow the organization.

Learn more at noor-bridging-the-digital-divide-in-tajikistan.b12sites.com.



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