Concerned by recent reports of official documents being destroyed at security checkpoints due to the shift of power in Afghanistan, UC Davis professor Keith David Watenpaugh found it critical to help students preserve their academic achievements under the Taliban. So this summer, Watenpaugh and a team of interns at the university quickly implemented a Dari/Farsi version of the Article 26 Backpack tool to remedy this issue. Article 26 Backpack not only helps students securely store digital versions of their documents, but it also helps them reclaim their human right to education if they are forcibly or otherwise displaced.

Created in 2018, Article 26 Backpack functions as a safe cloud storage system. With only a last name and email address required for login, vulnerable students can store their important documents safely in the cloud. With academic documents such as diplomas necessary to apply to jobs, graduate programs, and more, Watenpaugh and his team are eager to raise awareness of their tool to help students securely store their documents and achievements.

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently profiled Watenpaugh and Article 26 Backpack. Read more about him and the work in which he and student interns at UC Davis are engaged in support of the human right to education behind the free login: 

Read the Chronicle of Higher Education article: A UC Davis Professor’s Mission Saving Academic Credentials in Afghanistan