StayIN – Education is here to stay!

The Resilience and Strength of Young Afghan Women

By Kai Pflug

According to this year’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Afghanistan ranks worst of 177 countries in terms of the status of women. Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade, and women cannot enter public parks. Their right to work and to travel is also seriously restricted.

And yet, talking to a few young women in Kabul, what strikes me is their strength and even sometimes their optimism in the face of these conditions. While some of them suffered from depression as the conditions for women in Afghanistan worsened and dreams of becoming a doctor or other another profession were shattered, they did not give up. Instead, they found other professions which are less easily restricted (such as web design or freelance activities that can be done online. Found teachers outside the domestic universities – either online courses by foreign universities or simply by learning from YouTube (“YouTube is a really good teacher”, I heard several times).

They dream big – of studying abroad and getting a Master’s degree or even a Ph.D., then of returning to Afghanistan and becoming a successful businesswoman in a position to help many other women. And they work hard to achieve their goals despite the many other obstacles they face in Afghanistan, from spotty internet connections and electricity blackouts to restrictions on foreign and even domestic travel. Quite a few of them combine paid activities in more than one area with additional voluntary work, such as teaching English or helping other women market their products and services. At the same time, they keep learning new skills that are often very different from what they originally studied.

I personally experienced this when conducting a workshop with 25 such young women in Kabul in November. They paid rapt attention to the workshop, contributed with their own questions and experiences, and ended the workshop with the wish to have more such workshops in the future. Furthermore, the workshop itself was organized by a team of mostly young women who are not only eager to learn themselves but also want their fellow countrywomen to get a good education themselves. To be in the situation they are in and then to think of others rather than narrowly focusing on their own interest is truly impressive.

And best of all, some of these highly motivated and well-educated young women work with us at StayIN. I am proud to call them our colleagues.

Originally posted 2024-03-16 18:01:11.