These are drawings done by one of our students. Khalida is 19 years old.
I am Khalida, one of the girls from Afghanistan, a place where girls are often deprived of the right to education and freedom of expression. I was born into a middle-class family and started school at the age of six. From an early age, I was deeply passionate about art, and even small drawings would fill me with excitement and curiosity. To one day hold a paintbrush in my hand and express my art, creating what I imagine in my mind, has always been my dream. This passion began when I would gaze at flowers and nature, losing myself in thoughts about how I could recreate their beauty through art.I was always driven to create new things, which pushed me further toward making paintings and other artworks. I would create colorful pieces and paint on them with enthusiasm. Even now, I have kept three or four notebooks filled with my childhood drawings, and I remember how those drawings helped me forget my struggles and sorrows at times. In 2022, when the Taliban shut down all universities and schools, I discovered the deeper meaning of painting. I realized that when a person paints, they enter a world of peace and can express anything in their mind that cannot be put into words, bringing it to life through art. Gradually, I learned painting professionally, and now I am very happy that I can draw and portray faces that align with my imagination. I can bring changes to anything I desire and create new things on paper. I am determined to continue my education despite my uncertain future and the struggles faced by thousands of girls in my homeland who endure these challenges every day.
Moreover, painting helps me in many ways. For example, it conveys deep emotions and messages. Some paintings reflect profound feelings or messages that align with my personal experiences and emotions, prompting me to think deeply. Through painting, I aim to depict my thoughts and those of my peers. This is another reason why I am so passionate about art. The combination of colors is another aspect I deeply admire. The creative use of colors can stimulate a sense of aesthetics, leaving me amazed and fascinated. Every painting has its unique artistic technique, and when specific techniques, such as playing with light and shadow, textures, or precise lines, are applied, they captivate me entirely.
To me, painting is also a form of visual storytelling. Some paintings depict stories or scenes from life that allow me to connect with them, bringing a profound sense of peace and tranquility.
Finally, I want to say that every painting has its own unique artistic style. The distinctive perspectives that each artist brings to their work, along with the unique worldview expressed through their style, draw me in and inspire me deeply.
This is the story from Ghadira. She is 18 years old.
I was a student at a high school, where I experienced a traumatic incident – an explosion. This event profoundly affected me, leading to a period of introspection and inactivity lasting two months. Despite the initial challenges, I persevered, regained my health, and resumed my studies.
However, my educational journey faced a setback with the resurgence of the Taliban. The subsequent restrictions imposed on academic activities, particularly for women, prevented me from pursuing my studies. The recent control of Afghanistan by the Taliban has exacerbated the situation, restricting not only access to educational institutions but also limiting our movement outside our homes.
Navigating life independently is a formidable task, underscoring the importance of having a support system. In my case, my family has been my unwavering support. While our socioeconomic circumstances may not be ideal, I am grateful for the familial support that has enabled my achievements. Yet, the prevailing insecurity in Hazara society, marked by frequent explosions, instills constant fear of losing loved ones, adding an additional layer of difficulty to daily life.
I am the youngest of seven siblings, and despite the challenges, I harbor a strong aspiration to become a distinguished journalist in the future. My goal is not only personal success but also to contribute positively to my society and alleviate the struggles faced by my family.
Life, with its myriad experiences, encompasses both successes and failures. These failures serve as valuable lessons, fostering resilience and motivating me to persist, continually striving to become the best version of myself.
This is the story from Atika.
It was Sunday, I was taking preparation for going to university but one of my friends called me and said; did you see the group chat? I said no what happened? She said the Taliban came at Kabul and the republic government fell.
It was the strongest and sadness feeling that I felt, for two or three minutes I couldn’t speak. Just I was watching the sky and crying for my country, my people, my university, my dreams and myself.
I couldn’t go to university for many days but fortunately our university has started and we went to university but with a different feeling. When we arrived there it was horrid with different guards, different students and different clothes.
This situation wasn’t durable and the universities s' doors closed.
Up to now we can’t do anything, can’t study, can’t improve.
Two months ago I was informed that there is a free English course that teach English freely and help for girls to improve their English language and get scholarships in foreign countries. It was a good news for me like a bulb in the dark night. I passed the exam successfully we were continuing the lessons but again we faced we a big problem that the Taliban arrest the girls because of their bad veils but I think it was just an allegation for restrict the girls.
This is the second week that we can’t go to outside for picnic , walking, shopping specially for studying.
I can’ stand like this and watch my bad luck. I am so sad now just because of my dreams. But I never give up I will continue my way for finding the new way for my life. I will try to improve my skills and make my future bright.
I am sharing my experiences for other girls in the world that they should use from their opportunities and never give up!
This is the story from Benafsha.
On 1400/5/24, when the Republican system fell and the Taliban came to power our life become like millions of Afghans were transformed and many families went abroad for different reasons and became displaced and immigrated. But those who,like my family, could not or did not went to leave the country had a difficult fate for them especially for women whose basic rights such as freedom of speech, education, work out side the home, travel with out Mahrram...were taken away from them and also as an Afghan lady, excepted from this it was not only me who could not continue the school from grade nine, and all the Afghans girls.
Day by day ,that situation become normal but not it will get better, but we wanted to adopt to this difficult situation, but we still did not give up on our desire, which is the acquisition of knowledge, and with many restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emarart, but I decided to learn foreign languages such as English but we live in this situation until the beginning of 2024, the situation become more difficult and in addition to attacks that happen in Dashti Barchi. I heard about the arrested of girls because of their Hejab and it was hard for me to believe it but one day I wanted to go to educational center to the usual routine but with the fear of girls being trapped by the Taliban.It passed, but I still can not forget on that day ,I saw how girls wearing proper Hejab were arrested and for forcibly thrown in to the car and taken to the security areas.That day,I did not know how to escape.I did and reached home.But now I can not go somewhere because I afraid of being arrested by Taliban.Some of news I heard on social media pages make me aware that difficult obligations are taken from the arrested girls even, they and their families are not present to speak with others,I do not know what politics is behind this case and whose hands are involved in this case, but as an Afghan girl I do not see the ability to live anymore.
This is the story from Arefa. She is 19 years old.
I am student in one of English classes, but it’s about two weeks that we can’t participate to our classes because of unpleasant qualification that protrude nowadays in Kabul. When Taliban closed the school and university we decided to have language classes specially English but sometimes they let us and sometimes they didn’t. About 3 months ago when we heard about Bale Parvaz we became so happy by getting a great opportunity that we can improve our English language skills easily without paying any fee and we are so thankful to this organization for supporting the Afghan Girls. It was newly that we became motivated and hopeful that we can find an opportunity to continue our education abroad, but unfortunately we couldn’t. It’s about 2 weeks that they are kidnaping the young girls from every part of Kabul city and more from Dashte-Barchi. They carry them to unclear places. They are limiting us more than enough and we have to quarantine at our homes without having any specific destination. It’s very painful that we are losing our real lives, our trust, our peace, our happiness and our destiny this much grimly in our land and there’s no one to destroy this human tension and release us from this torment. Just we want to relieve the difficult circumstances that our people involved and have a peaceful and advanced country like another countries. Taliban is afraid of our mightiness and they don’t want to we get high position in our government and our society and be like a free human because of that they are disturbing and macerating us ruthlessly. Now we are deprived of our humanity and are in a very difficult situation. Most families are concerned about how to get their girls out of this hard situation and carry them to safe places. Everywhere people are talking about girls and it became their quotation and most of them proceed in compulsory marriage while they are underage because they are compelled and can’t support their girls. Unfortunately sometimes a girl died and sometimes their dreams disappeared in Kabul byroads. And it’s the life of an Afghan Hazara girl that there is no humanities since anthropoid wilds became our governor.
This is the story from Fatima.
I am Fatima , from first second of my life, my family wanted me to be a boy, but I always want to be just a human, a human who can just breathe not more I am a person whose existence today is a problem for others which mad it a problem for me because I can not leave the house or I do not study, for me I wanted to live like a human being, this is the worst thing that I experience. I am a girl who came from corner of my country to the capital to achieve my dream, so that one they will came back and be able to help every women, at last to prove to theme that women are not weak, I studied because I wanted to become a programmer. Today, my only answer to be silent and wait until maybe I will return to my class, maybe I will have the respect of a human being. Today, even I do not know how I feel about myself. By the of each day, I thing that another day has been added to my life in vain, and this makes me more disappointed.