From becoming a tailor to teaching other girls in secret, Afghan girls share their lives under Taliban rule.
September 15 marks the three-year ban on girls' education in Afghanistan. We asked Erin Hung, an illustrator and storyteller, to depict the lives and wishes of Afghan girls — and the result is one of a kind.
26-year-old Tamilore, a Malala Fund Girl Fellow, writes about the first time she learned about climate change, how it spurred an interest in climate education and how girls in her community led the charge on climate-friendly waste disposal — changing her hometown for the better.
On September 15, 2021, after the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, they began instituting a gender apartheid system which barred girls from returning to school. Three years later, thousands of girls across Afghanistan have been denied the right to learn. Malala Fund, through local partners, has been supporting programmes that allow girls to continue learning. By collaborating with organisations like Begum Organisation for Women — whose satellite channel will reach up to 1 million young people — Malala Fund is helping to keep education accessible. These efforts aim to restore not just education, but dreams, ensuring Afghan girls continue to learn despite the enormous challenges they face.
17-year-old Zaibi Khan recounts a personal story that changed her life and relationships to herself, her family, and her education. Through storytelling workshop with Storykit —an organisation supported by Malala Fund — Zaibi shares her story of growth, leadership, and breaking free of gendered stereotypes that disrupt and keep girls out of school.
Amid fear and uncertainty, here’s what is keeping young women hopeful about their education and future three years after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Malala visited your school for a day? 15-year-old Sara writes about just that — the day Malala sat with Harrow High School in London to discuss everyone’s role in creating a world where all girls are free to learn and pursue their dreams.
Malala makes it an annual tradition to meet girls all around the world on her birthday. This year, she visited Harrow High, a secondary school in London, to speak to Afghan girls about their journey to the U.K. and their hopes for girls in Afghanistan. The girls and their classmates also brainstormed ways to support Afghan girls who have been banned from school for more than 1,000 days. Meet three girls who shared their stories at this year’s Malala Day event.
Harrow High School students wrote messages to Afghan girls, expressing their solidarity and awe at their bravery and resilience, and affirming Afghan girls’ right to education.
1000 days have passed since the Taliban banned girls’ education in Afghanistan. Here are messages from Afghan girls to the world amid the ongoing crisis.
Have you ever mentored someone and found that you got just as much from the experience as they did? 11-year-old Eman reflects on her the challenges and rewards of mentoring younger students in her school through Cities for Children — an organisation supported by Malala Fund.
18-year-old Maria Eduarda reflects on writing the #GirlsDecide Manifesto, demanding quality, equal education for all. To her, education is fundamental to their identities, activism, and liberation.
Lua Quinelato, que tem 19 anos, reflete sobre sua experiência como menina travesti na universidade pública, onde achou sua comunidade, e escrita do Manifesto #MeninasDecidem, exigindo educação de qualidade e com equidade para todas as meninas. Para as jovens, a educação inclusiva é fundamental para seu ativismo, identidades e libertação.
19-year-old Lua Quinelato reflects on her experience in a public university as a transvesti girl and finding community, and writing the #GirlsDecide Manifesto, demanding quality, equal education for all.
16-year-old Thuézia Souza is a girl activist researching the causes of girls’ school dropout in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Brazil. She reflects on her chat with Malala about her dreams for girls’ education in Brazil.
17-year-old Bhumika Ashwar writes about the barriers to education Guyanese women face and how she’s championing girls’ education on the ground through her advocacy.
21-year old student and activist Beatriz Silva writes about how an encounter with restrictive and misogynistic dress codes fueled her passion for gender equity research and policy work.
.زیرنویس: مژده اکبری، فعال 17 ساله از بزرگ شدن اش در افغانستان و امید های آینده خویش می نویسد
مژده اکبری فعال ۱۷ ساله، در مورد بزرگ شدن در افغانستان و آرزوهایش برای آینده
مینویسد
17-year-old activist Muzhda Akbari writes about growing up in Afghanistan and her hopes for the future.
ከአማራ ክልል የመጡ ሶስት ሴት ልጆች ስለ መፈናቀል፣ ስለ ጾታ ተኮር ጥቃት እና የስሜት መቃወስን ስለመቋቋም ይጽፋሉ፡፡