Impact & finances — Nuristan Education Initiative

Transparency snapshot

An honest baseline, not a finished record.

Financial snapshot last updated: May 2026

The Initiative began as a privately financed pilot and is now a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. The figures here come from the Initiative's 2026 operating plan, as reviewed by the board. 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.

50–60

Students in the Nishegram after-school program

6

Students in the Kabul Bridge Cohort

~$44

Current cost per village student, per year

$8,160

Combined operating cost for both programs, per year

Nishegram, Nuristan + Kabul bridge cohort Operating since 2023

Monitoring & evaluation

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.

We use discretion in public storytelling and avoid identifying students without appropriate consent and safety review. Our reporting emphasizes aggregate progress, program structure, and educational outcomes while protecting students and communities.

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

Finances

The operating budget.

The budget shows what the programs cost to run today, alongside a planned expansion model. The figures come from the Initiative's 2026 operating plan as reviewed by the board — not audited financial statements — and will be replaced by board-approved statements as the Initiative's finance function is established.

Combined operating budget

Current operating position and the projected expansion model.

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.

Milestones

How the Initiative reached this point.

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.

2023

The proof-of-concept after-school program launches in Nishegram, privately financed.

2025

The Kabul Bridge Cohort launches as a second proof point — four students relocate for intensive preparation.

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.

What the work costs, and how we'll know it works.