Ahfad University for Women was founded in Omdurman, Sudan, in 1966. Its mission is to prepare women to assume responsible roles in their families and communities, as well as in the nation. “The Ahfad experience” embraces a combination of academic courses, on-the-job training, individual research, and community extension activities. This combination of activities is designed to prepare women from all parts of Sudan to become change agents in their families and communities, and to assume leadership positions in society. This vision is rooted in Sheik Babiker’s purpose in establishing his school for girls in 1907. He combined the traditional Islamic devotion to learning with his then-radical idea of providing secular education, in addition to religious instruction, to both boys and girls. Sheik Babiker saw that educated women were essential to achieving improvements in nutrition, health, child care, and community development, as well as for preparing both young men and women for life in the emerging urban society of Sudan.
A 2021 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network supported 100 scholarships for students in Ahfad University’s psychology program and in its rural extension, education, and development program.
Website: www.ahfad.edu.sd
