Afghan Women Speak: Stories from Inside Afghanistan

22 Jan

Posted at 06:00h in Afghan Women Speak: Stories from Inside Afghanistan, Afghanistan, V-Day

Samina, (not her real name) ran a gym in Herat, Afghanistan and has two teenage daughters. Below is her story: Around 14 years ago, a friend and I decided to invest in a gym for women and girls. The concept of a gym, especially for women, was relatively new in Afghanistan, but we believed it was a great idea. We saw it as a way to empower women to prioritize their health, fitness, and embrace self-love. Unfortunately, our culture has never really encouraged women to focus on themselves; they are often expected to solely serve their husbands and children. So, we thought...

17 Jan

Posted at 08:00h in Afghan Women Speak: Stories from Inside Afghanistan, Afghanistan, V-Day

Samia, (not her real name) in her 20s, with tearful eyes, reflects on how her life drastically changed two years ago. She comes from a family where her mother used to work for an NGO, and her father was employed at a bank. At that time, she was pursuing a career in journalism while her sister was in her third year of medical school, and her younger brother attended school. Two years ago, their lives took a distressing turn when women were prohibited from working, leading to their mother losing her job. Samia and her sister were also banned from continuing...

15 Aug

Posted at 15:43h in Afghan Women Speak: Stories from Inside Afghanistan, V-Day

By Fatima (an Afghan girl in Kabul) Part of our Blog Series AFGHAN WOMEN SPEAK: STORIES FROM INSIDE AFGHANISTAN Two years have elapsed since the Taliban regained power through a regrettable peace agreement brokered between the US special representative, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban. This agreement handed over the fate and destiny of our people to an ignorant and misogynistic force. It obliterated the progress and achievements our nation had painstakingly built over the past two decades. With a single stroke of a pen, we were catapulted centuries backward. Ever since, a nation haunted by four decades of instability and a fractured society...

02 May

Posted at 05:39h in Afghan Women Speak: Stories from Inside Afghanistan, V-Day

I am an Afghan woman and my name is Dina (not real name). I would like to share with you a small part of Afghan families' sorrow under the Taliban. I was walking on the street when I noticed a little boy around 10 years old cleaning cars. He was very dirty, tired, sad and hopeless. I went up close and started a conversation. I asked, "What are you doing on the streets during school hours? You should be in school, at least it is open for boys. And why do you look so tired?"...