Education should not stop at a border — or a locked door.
BEACON Alliance runs two free education programs: live online classes for girls barred from school in Afghanistan, and clear, practical guidance for immigrant and first-generation students building a future in the United States.
Our mission
One organization, two places where a door has closed
In Afghanistan, girls are shut out of secondary school and university. In the United States, immigrant families arrive with ambition but without a guide to a complex education system. BEACON Alliance exists to answer both — with live teaching, honest information, and people who stay with each student.
Live online classes for girls
Volunteer teachers deliver core subjects — mathematics, science, English and more — over any phone, from the safety of home, in the student's own language.
See the programA clear path into college
We guide immigrant and first-generation students through English, standardized tests, college applications, and financial aid — with free tutors and mentors beside them.
See the programHow we work
Principles we do not compromise on
Safety by design
For girls learning where it is forbidden, privacy is protection. We collect the minimum and never publish who takes part.
Free, and staying free
Cost should never decide who gets to learn. Every program we run is free to the students we serve.
Built for low bandwidth
Our classes and site are designed to work on a single phone and a weak connection, not just fast internet.
Real people, live
Behind every class and application is a volunteer teacher, tutor, or mentor — not just a video or a form.
What we are building toward
First-year goalsThere is a place here for you
Whether you want to learn, to teach, or to give, you can be part of this.
Girls' Education · Afghanistan
School did not end. It moved online.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bars girls from secondary school and university. BEACON Alliance keeps their education going with live online classes, taught by volunteer teachers, free of charge, from the safety of home.
Live core subjects
Mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, English and more — taught live, following a real curriculum, not just recorded videos.
Taught in your language
Classes are offered in English, Dari and Pashto, so nothing is lost and every student can follow along.
Built for a single phone
Designed to run on one phone and a weak connection. Recorded lessons are being added so no one is left behind by an outage.
The learning pathway
From first class to a university application
Placement and welcome
A short, private conversation to understand your level and goals, then placement into the right class group.
Core subjects and English
Live weekly classes in the subjects you choose, with English built in because so many opportunities depend on it.
Digital and study skills
Computer basics, research and writing — the skills needed for online work, exams, and higher study.
Scholarship and exam preparation
Guidance toward TOEFL, online universities, and scholarships for Afghan women studying at home or abroad.
Your safety comes first
We collect the least information possible. We never publish students' names and never make the class list public. You may use only a first name or a nickname. Please sign up only if it is safe for you to do so.
Sign up to learn
Reserve your place in a class
A coordinator will reach out privately with your class details. We are glad you are here.
Immigrant Education · United States
The American system has unwritten rules. We make them plain.
Grade point averages, Advanced Placement classes, the SAT and ACT, extracurriculars, the FAFSA, personal essays — the path to a good U.S. college is full of steps no one explains to a newcomer. We lay out the whole path and walk it with you, from a first English class to an acceptance letter.
College applications
From building a college list to essays, recommendation letters, deadlines and financial aid — step by step with a real advisor.
ESL & academic English
Reading, writing and speaking for school and for the TOEFL, meeting you at whatever level you start from.
SAT & ACT preparation
Practice tests, strategy, and small-group sessions to raise your score — no expensive prep course required.
Tutors & mentors
Free one-on-one tutors for hard subjects, and mentors who have done this before and can answer what you did not know to ask.
The high school roadmap
What matters to admissions, in the order it matters
Strong grades and the right classes
Your GPA starts counting now. Take challenging core classes and keep your grades up from the first year.
Honors, AP, and a few real commitments
Add Honors or Advanced Placement classes when ready. In activities, colleges value depth and leadership over a long list.
Testing and recommendations
Junior grades matter most. Prepare for and take the SAT or ACT, plan for the TOEFL if needed, and ask two teachers for recommendation letters.
Applications, essays and financial aid
Write your story, meet every deadline, and file the FAFSA — and the CSS Profile where required — for financial aid.
Step-by-step guides for the FAFSA, the CSS Profile, scholarships, and a downloadable checklist are all in the Resources library.
Get support
Tell us where you are, and we will take it from there
We will email you soon to match you with the right tutor, class or mentor for your goals.
Resource Library
Everything in one place, from trusted sources
Official links, step-by-step guides, and a checklist you can download. All resources are free and come from established organizations and government sites. Confirm deadlines and rules on the official pages, as they change each year.
Financial aid
The two forms that unlock most college money. Filing is free — start as early as you can.
Applications & testing
Where you apply, and how to prepare for the tests colleges ask for.
Scholarships, including for immigrant students
Private scholarships set their own rules and many do not require citizenship. Never pay to apply.
Step-by-step guides
Filing the FAFSA
The 2026–27 FAFSA opened in fall 2025 and closes June 30, 2027. It uses your family's 2024 tax information, so you can file right away. Some aid is first-come, first-served — file early.
Create your accounts
Make a StudentAid.gov account for yourself. Each contributor — usually a parent or spouse — creates their own account too.
Gather your documents
Your Social Security number if you have one, the 2024 tax return, and records of income and assets. Contributors without an SSN can still create an account.
Complete every section and consent
Fill out each part and approve the tax-data transfer so the form can pull your information directly.
Add every college
List all the schools you are considering so each one receives your information.
Submit and review
Submit, then read your FAFSA Submission Summary and correct any errors.
Watch your earliest deadline
Your state and each college set their own deadlines, often earlier than the federal one. Treat the earliest as your real deadline.
The CSS Profile
Many private colleges use the CSS Profile to award their own grants. It costs $25 for the first school and $16 for each additional one, but it is automatically free for families earning up to $100,000 a year and for students with an SAT fee waiver.
Check which colleges require it
Look up your schools on the Participating Institutions list at cssprofile.collegeboard.org. Public universities often need only the FAFSA.
Log in with College Board
Use the same account you used for the SAT, PSAT or AP, and open the 2026–27 application.
Add every participating college
One Profile can go to all your schools. You can add more later, but remember to resubmit.
Enter details and upload documents
Provide income, assets and family information, and upload documents through IDOC if asked. Keep copies.
Submit before each deadline
CSS deadlines can fall as early as mid-November, so check each college's financial-aid page.
Track your progress
College readiness checklist
Your progress
Check off each task. Your progress is saved on this device.
Free learning platforms
Legitimate, free platforms — several with lessons in Dari and Pashto and low-data options.
Scholarships and higher study for Afghan women
Pathways to online degrees and funding, for study at home or abroad.
Learn safely
Use a private account, keep your personal details to yourself, and only access resources when it is safe to do so. All the platforms listed here are legitimate, public educational services.
Get Involved
This work depends on people who show up
Every class taught and every student guided happens because someone gave time or support. There is a role here for you.
Teach or tutor
Give an hour a week. Teach a subject to girls in Afghanistan, or tutor an immigrant student in the U.S. Training and support are provided.
Donate
Your gift covers mobile data, learning materials, and the tools that keep classes running. Every amount reaches a student.
Partner with us
Schools, universities and organizations can help us reach further. Let us build something together.
Volunteer
Offer your time
We will email you about orientation and matching you with students who need exactly what you offer.
About BEACON Alliance
Bridging Education, Access & Community Opportunities
BEACON Alliance began with a refusal to accept that a girl's education could be switched off overnight. When schools closed to girls in Afghanistan, learning did not stop — it moved online, into quiet classrooms held over the internet. We exist to give that learning a home.
From the same belief grew our second program. Many families arrive in the United States full of ambition but without a guide to a complex education system. We provide that guide — and stay beside each student, from a first English class to a college acceptance.
A beacon is a light kept burning to guide people through the dark. On both sides of the world, that is our work: to keep the light of a classroom on, wherever it has to move to survive.
Maryam Wali
"I am from Afghanistan. I know what it means to have a door closed in front of you, and what it means when someone helps you find a window. I built BEACON so that no student — there or here — has to stand at that door alone."
What we believe
The values under everything
Safety before everything
For girls learning where it is forbidden, privacy is not a feature — it is protection, and we design around it.
Dignity, not pity
Our students are capable and ambitious. We treat them that way in every word and every class.
Free, and staying free
Cost should never decide who gets to learn. Our programs are free to the students we serve.
Reach over polish
We would rather work on a low-cost phone with a weak signal than build something only the fortunate can open.
Contact
Reach out — we read everything
Writing from Afghanistan?
Use a private account and share only what feels safe. Your message stays confidential.
Thank you for reaching out. We will reply as soon as we can.