Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM)

Founded in 2010, ANIM believes that music has the power to bring people together. It affords Afghan youth the opportunity not just to learn but also to heal their wounds and build strong bonds within the Afghan community.

While operating in Afghanistan, ANIM offered 4th- through 14th-grade students — regardless of gender, social circumstances, or ethnic background — specialized training in music and academic lessons in mathematics, science, social sciences, Dari, Pashto, Arabic, English, Quranic studies, and Islamic studies. In August 2021, along with tens of thousands of Afghan nationals, members of ANIM fled Afghanistan. Several months later, hundreds of ANIM students, faculty, staff, and family members traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, where they were granted asylum and invited to reestablish their school. While ANIM rebuilds itself in Lisbon as a premier music school and orchestra, its critical work continues to transform the lives of talented Afghan national students.