A new charity, the Rahmanullah Gurbaz Welfare Foundation, has been officially inaugurated in Kabul. The initiative was established by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, a member of Afghanistan’s national cricket team.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Gurbaz said the foundation aims to expand access to education and healthcare services while also creating employment opportunities for Afghans. He stressed that meaningful progress in the country depends on collective effort and shared responsibility.

“The core purpose of this foundation is to promote education,” he said. “An educated person is enlightened, while someone deprived of education is like a person without sight.”

Participants at the event also underscored the importance of investing in education as a pathway to national development. Mujib-ur-Rahman Baheer, head of Ariana News, welcomed the initiative and called for greater focus on learning and academic advancement across the country.

Meanwhile, Ahmadullah Wasiq, head of the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports, emphasized that such initiatives must be genuine and transparent, warning that they should not serve symbolic purposes or personal interests but instead deliver real benefits to the public.

The launch comes at a time when Afghanistan continues to grapple with economic hardship and overlapping crises, including poverty, natural disasters, and the return of migrants—factors that have significantly increased the need for sustained humanitarian support.

Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, said in recent remarks that the continuation of the ban on girls’ education and the ongoing closure of schools and universities to them will weaken national capacity, increase severe need, and lead Afghanistan toward dependence on foreign countries.

Karzai said in a statement: “While I consider universal education vital, I once again emphasize that the doors of schools and universities must be opened to girls as soon as possible. By providing opportunities for education and learning to young people—both girls and boys—the country’s problems and needs can be resolved by the capable hands of its own children, and Afghanistan can be freed from external dependence.”

Karzai made these remarks in response to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). According to the report, by 2030 Afghanistan will face a shortage of more than 20,000 teachers and over 5,000 female healthcare workers, and the number of girls deprived of education will exceed two million.