She asked to learn Italian. We changed the rule.

A woman from Afghanistan wrote to us because she wanted to learn Italian.

She had tried to join TEEI Language, our free language practice programme, but had been placed on a waiting list. Afghanistan was not among the countries our programme was open to.

Her message explained what that decision meant to her. She had already lost educational opportunities because she was a woman. She was still determined to learn, develop her abilities and make choices about her future. Now, when she found an organisation offering free language practice, her nationality had become another obstacle.

She asked us to reconsider.

Her question was straightforward: why should someone already facing barriers to education meet another barrier when asking for a chance to learn?

She was right to challenge us.

Fifteen minutes after we read her message, she had a place, and we had decided to open TEEI Language to women from Afghanistan.

TEEI Language is now open to Afghan women aged 18 and over, wherever they live.

If you are an Afghan woman reading this

A barrier we could remove

UNESCO estimates that 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are excluded from secondary education. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world that formally bars girls and women from secondary school and university.

Behind those figures are people whose ambitions have not disappeared simply because their opportunities have been restricted.

The woman who contacted us was not asking us to solve the whole education crisis. She wanted an opportunity to learn Italian.

We could not reverse the restrictions she described. We could change the rule that kept her out of our programme.

That distinction mattered. There was something within our control, and an existing service she wanted to use.

Rather than making an exception for one person, we opened the programme to others in the same position.

A rule, not a platform

The decision was quick because the programme was already running. We did not need to build a new platform or start a separate programme. We needed to change who could join.

TEEI Language already connects learners with volunteer conversation partners. Participants choose someone to practise with, book a session and meet on the platform. Matching, scheduling, video rooms and activity records are part of the same system.

The volunteers who give their time, the people running the programme, and the technology supporting them were already in place. That existing work made it possible to respond quickly.

By 27 October 2026, TEEI Language and TEEI Mentorship had recorded 9,644.6 hours of conversation. Our July snapshot recorded members in 148 countries. Both figures are documented in our public activity record.

How you can help

Volunteers. The most direct help is a conversation. If you speak Italian, or another language a learner wants to practise, you can become a volunteer conversation partner. You do not need a teaching qualification, only a language you speak confidently and time to practise it with someone learning. We welcome Dari and Pashto speakers who would like to help women take their first steps.

Organisations already working with Afghan women. If your organisation already supports Afghan women, you can register with TEEI Network Partners to connect the women you work with to TEEI’s programmes and contribute your own volunteers and expertise, without building a separate learning platform.

Companies. Through Evenhall by TEEI, a company can bring its employees into TEEI’s programmes as conversation partners and mentors. Evenhall is free for companies, and the company’s documented contributions feed into the company’s own reporting. Companies can also contribute technology, learning resources or funding. Apply for a free Evenhall workspace.

A question for technology partners

Practice Companion, our AI-supported learning companion, is being developed to complement human conversations and classes through writing, listening and speaking practice.

For some women, practising independently, without a camera or an appointment with someone they have not met, could be a more appropriate first step. They could also practise at times that suit them.

We want to explore this with Afghan women and technology partners: what women actually want, which privacy concerns need to be addressed, and what would make participation more accessible. That is an invitation to investigate together, not a claim that a camera-free tool is automatically safe.

What her message opened

Online language practice cannot restore the schools and universities women have been denied. It can provide a real opportunity to continue learning.

She wanted to learn Italian.

Because she asked us to reconsider, other women from Afghanistan can now join her.

Join TEEI Language