‘The Kite Runner’ author Khaled Hosseini’s foundation has educated 15,000 Afghan students and built 537 shelters for displaced families | World News

Khaled Hosseini, the Afghan-born author of The Kite Runner, founded a non-profit organisation that supports vulnerable people in Afghanistan today. The Khaled Hosseini Foundation says it has provided more than $2.2 million in grants, helping fund education, shelter, healthcare and economic opportunities for women. Its reported work includes building 537 shelters that house more than 3,200 men, women and children, as well as providing education for over 15,000 students.According to the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, it also helped fund an expansion of a maternity centre expected to assist in the delivery of 6,000 babies and care for roughly 33,000 women a year. Started in 2008, the organisation works through non-profit groups operating in Afghanistan.

Khaled Hosseini Foundation focuses on humanitarian support in Afghanistan

The Khaled Hosseini Foundation was started by the award-winning author of The Kite Runner in 2008. It is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation and says its work centres on humanitarian relief and shelter for families, economic opportunities for women, and healthcare and education for children in Afghanistan.Rather than describing itself as a direct service provider, the foundation says it funds grantees working on the ground. These organisations include established international aid groups with experience in conflict areas, some of which have worked in Afghanistan for decades. This approach helps ensure grants are used efficiently and reach vulnerable Afghans. Its mission statement places women and children at the centre of its work and overall grant-making priorities.

PC: Khaled Hosseini Foundation

Foundation reports 537 shelters and education for 15,000 students

The foundation reports that it has granted more than $2.2 million with support from donors. Its listed results include 537 shelters, which house over 3,200 men, women and children. Its work has provided education for more than 15,000 students. It also helped fund a maternity centre expansion. The expanded centre will assist in the delivery of 6,000 babies and provide care for roughly 33,000 women a year.The foundation does not give a reporting period for the cumulative shelter and education totals, or break down the grant amount by individual programme or beneficiary group.

How does the foundation support education in Afghanistan

Education is one of the areas supported through the foundation’s grants. Its grantees provide education alongside shelter, healthcare and economic opportunities, with a focus on families, women and children. The foundation specifically lists support for UNICEF’s Let Us Learn programme. The programme supports Accelerated Learning Centres that provide education to almost 3,000 students.This figure forms part of the foundation’s description of its work with partner organisations. The organisation also identifies education for children as a central part of its mission in Afghanistan. Its wider impact figure states that more than 15,000 students have received education through its support.

What emergency aid has the foundation provided in Afghanistan

Reportedly, its work has also included emergency assistance during humanitarian crises and natural disasters in Afghanistan. It reported providing $100,000 in emergency aid to non-governmental organisation partners working on healthcare and refugee assistance for more than 500,000 internally displaced people in 2021.In late 2021 and during 2022, it said it provided a further $225,000 in emergency aid. The organisation also listed support after major earthquakes and floods. This included more than $64,000 for Médecins Sans Frontières after the 2023 Herat earthquakes, $50,000 to UNHCR after floods in 2024, and $25,000 for UNHCR following the 2025 eastern Afghanistan earthquake.