An Afghan in Germany: Building bridges between cultures and communities

An Afghan in Germany: Building bridges between cultures and communities

On July 11, 2025, Ahmad Shoaib Joya, who works as an application developer at the German Business Foundation, will report on his positive experience in Germany. With his knowledge from studying at the TU Berlin he converts complex requirements into innovative software solutions. Joya describes his work environment as friendly and helpful, which makes him feel well integrated. He places particular emphasis on the importance of integration and sees it as a two-way process that affects both newcomers and German society.

For Joya, integration in Germany means more than just finding a place in professional life. He considers Germany his home and sees it as his responsibility to embody the country's values ​​and cultural diversity. His words reflect his optimism about actively shaping Germany's future: "I want to build bridges between communities, ideas and cultures." Joya is also an advocate for diversity, which he believes is a strength for teams and societies.

Education as the key to progress

Joya is particularly concerned about the current situation in his home country of Afghanistan. He expressed his hope for international aid programs to support the education of women and children in Afghanistan. On July 11, 2025, the situation for women in Afghanistan is alarming: The Taliban have stopped secondary school education for girls since they came to power and introduced strict gender segregation in educational institutions, such as DVV International reported.

The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical changes have severely affected the financing of the education system. Despite these adverse circumstances, the partner organization ANAFAE is fighting to maintain educational opportunities for women. All 15 adult education centers that opened during the crisis have enabled the number of learners to increase from 780 to over 75,000 in 2022, with the proportion of female participants now over 50%.

These adult education centers offer a variety of courses aimed at reducing barriers to education for women. Courses in cosmetology are particularly popular, allowing women to earn an income. Many young women who are unable to continue their academic education participate in programs to improve their skills while hoping to return to mainstream education.

Challenges of integration into education systems

The educational challenges for people with a migration background are a central topic that is also taken up by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in the “Integration through Education” initiative. These programs, supported by the European Social Fund, aim to increase educational opportunities for people with a migrant background. Girls and women in particular, who often face special challenges, should be specifically supported BMBF emphasized.

In practice, it has been shown that girls with a migration background do better at school than boys, but are often disadvantaged when making the transition to training and study. Mothers play a key role in the integration of their children, but at the same time they often face challenges when re-entering the education system.

Ahmad Shoaib Joya not only made new friends in Germany, but also noticed that school attendance for many women in Afghanistan was interrupted by the political circumstances. While he appreciates his new home, he often thinks about the challenges his family and friends face in Afghanistan. Despite the difficulties, his belief in the strength of education and diversity remains.