Hello everyone,
After seven training sessions, we are pleased to announce that two Afghan female debate teams have been selected to participate in the Harvard Debate UKTOC International on January 24 and 25, 2026:
- Team 1: Tamana Wahidi and Humaira Baktash
- Team 2: Wahida Sadaqat and Adiba Azami
Our teams will compete online in the Public Forum Open division on the mornings of January 24 and 25, 2026 (Afghan time). For details, please visit: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/fields.mhtml?tourn_id=36684
Our goal is to empower Afghan female students to participate and raise their voices on the global stage by providing opportunities to compete in prestigious international debate tournaments. This visibility can help attract worldwide support for Afghan women’s education, with a practical emphasis on expanding online learning in the near term.
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Tripp Rebrovick, Debate Coach at Harvard College and Director of the Harvard Debate Council; Mr. Dave Arnett, Director of Debate at the University of Kentucky; and Mr. Gabriel Lewis, International Outreach Coordinator for Speech and Debate at the University of Kentucky, for their kind support in waiving all fees for these teams to join the tournament.
We thank all remaining participants for their efforts during the training period. You will continue to receive training and may be selected for other debate competitions in 2026.
Warm regards,
Empowering Afghan Girls & Young Women through Public Forum Debate
(an initiative founded by the Vietnam Public Forum Academy)
and Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT)
