#LetAfghanGirlsLearn
August 15th is the one-year anniversary of the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban takeover. It has been heart-wrenching to watch the Taliban roll back all women’s basic human rights — to be educated, to earn a living, to leave their homes freely and be an active part of their community.
Read MoreThe past six weeks have been very challenging for me and my family as we have watched the Taliban roll back the gains for women, girls, and all the markers of a civil society granted to the Afghan people through the Afghan constitution. Yesterday I was inspired to record this video to share my perspective on What Just Happened in Afghanistan and how important it is that we don’t forget about the Afghan people. If you like what I have to say, please share the video widely so others can participate in mitigating the potential economic and humanitarian crisis that is about to unfold in Afghanistan.
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This photo of me with Zan was taken in 2010. She made fun of me because I couldn’t keep my headscarf on my head.
I met the woman who became the director of our schools, let’s call her Zan, in 2006. She escaped from the Taliban just four days ago. I can’t share her identity because her husband and 6 children are still in Afghanistan. We need your help to get Zan’s family out of Afghanistan, too.
My family left Afghanistan in 1979, after the Russian invasion, but Zan’s family couldn’t.
Instead, Zan finished high school and attended Kabul University during the Russian occupation. While at college, she married a wonderful man, an accomplished doctor, and started a family. After college, Zan became a sought-after teacher.
Sadly war was ever-present. The Russians were driven from Afghanistan but the country descended into five years of civil war. While her mother-in-law helped with her growing family, Zan, despite bouts of anxiety and depression, joined a teacher’s collective and began advocating for girls' education.
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