On March 6, 2024, the sun in Bamyan shone brightly, but it still couldn’t ease the sadness in the hearts of the people. Seeing their sad and troubled faces hurt my heart and filled my mind with questions. Late at night, a question that had always been on my mind kept repeating: Why, with all their abilities, have Afghanistani women still not experienced freedom? Why are their dreams still trapped and limited by the shadow of the Taliban?
I remember that on March 6, 2024, I cried because of a woman’s story I didn’t even know, but her pain touched my heart deeply. That day, with a heart full of sadness, I went to the river to wash my clothes. But washing clothes was just a way to escape from the heavy thoughts in my mind. While I was still lost in my thoughts at the river, I met an old woman. Her hands were cracked and weak, but she was still washing clothes with strength and courage.
She had a story full of pain and suffering; a story of an Afghanistani woman who had spent twenty years with courage and strength under life’s hardest conditions. Her husband was paralyzed due to the brutal violence of the Taliban, and she struggled alone to provide food for her child and husband. With her throat full of emotion, she said in a trembling voice,
“They are still the same oppressors as twenty years ago. They fool people by showing a good face.”
Her words have never left my mind. I cried, not just for her, but for all the women in this country who have been oppressed and subjected to injustice. Even in the darkest days, they have never lost their courage.
March 8, 2024, was the turning point for me. The day I decided to fight for the freedom of my country and stay strong. That day, I realized that I should not only fight for my own rights but for the rights of all the women in my country. We should raise our voices.
– Zahra
Letter received from our students participating in our Mentorship program. Name and text altered for protection of our students and for grammatical changes.
