Mission
We use educational television to cultivate children's kindness and curiosity.
We build partnerships with children's television producers and humanitarian and philanthropic partners to research, create, dub, and distribute educational television to Afghan children at home and around the world.
19 million children.
Afghanistan is one of the youngest countries in the world. Children constitute nearly half of Afghanistan's entire population. Millions more live in other countries around the world.
No educational television.
Despite constituting one of Afghanistan's largest demographic groups, Afghan children do not have access to educational television programming.
“It's not whether children learn from television, it's what children learn from television — because everything that children see on television is teaching them something.”
Joan Ganz Cooney, founder of Sesame Street
Afghan children are immersed in a heavily censored Taliban media regime that normalizes violence, devalues education, and erases women and girls. Coupled with an educational system in freefall, Afghan children are entangled in a silent catastrophe that will shape the trajectory of their lives.
Diaspora and Refugee Communities
Nearly six million Afghans live outside the country. For these communities, KCTA's programming offers an additional benefit: Dari and Pashto language programming. Like their peers in Afghanistan, Afghan diaspora children do not have access to age-appropriate educational programming in their own languages.
Leadership
Dr. Mohammad Behroozian
Founder & Executive Director
A media producer and researcher with nearly two decades of experience serving underprivileged communities, Mohammad is the founder and executive director of the Kindred Children's Television Alliance (KCTA). With unwavering leadership across research, production, acquisition and dubbing, and distribution pillars, he pursues an organizational development agenda designed to serve Afghan kids for generations to come. Mohammad holds a PhD in Communication from Northwestern University and a master's in Television Producing from Boston University.
Naveed Noormal
Director of Strategy and Partnerships
Naveed Noormal is a senior advisor, communications strategist, and former diplomat with extensive experience helping leaders across government, media, and corporate sectors navigate transformation in complex environments. A Fulbright Scholar, UK Aspen Fellow, and He for She Champion, Naveed brings a global and interdisciplinary perspective to advancing KCTA partnerships and strategy.
Board of Directors
Dr. Ellen Wartella
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Communication Emerita, Northwestern University
One of the world's most influential scholars of children, media, and technology. Author of 12 books and 200+ publications; recipient of major lifetime awards from ICA and NCA.
Dr. Larry Hedges
Board of Trustees Professor, Northwestern University
A global leader in educational statistics and evaluation. Winner of the Yidan Prize in Education Research. Appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Board for Education Sciences.
Jessica Lewinski
Country Director at 30 Birds Foundation Canada
Leads programming in education access and leadership development for newcomer Afghan girls and women in Canada. Former Co-Head Writer for Korea's award-winning Badanamu franchise, where she developed 100+ episodes for global preschool audiences.
Muqaddesa Yourish
Senior Advisor, Albright Stonebridge Group
Visiting Fellow at GWU and recipient of Vital Voices Global Leadership and DVF Awards. Widely published expert on Afghanistan's governance, South Asian political economy, and women's rights.
Dennis Oakes
Retired senior communications and investor relations leader with extensive experience at major healthcare and financial services companies, including at Fortune 100 companies.