A Hopeful Warrior

The Voice of a Brave Afghan Woman

****Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by a young Afghan girl living in Afghanistan. To protect her identity, we posted it under Kate’s name. This picture does not feature our guest writer, Helai.****

My name is “Helai.” I am a determined and resilient 16-year-old girl living in Afghanistan. In this passage, I will express what Afghan women are suffering and how hard it is to stay hopeful and optimistic about our future. Before 30 August 2021, I was a girl with great plans and big goals for my future. I was going to school, doing my best, studying,  going out with friends, and trying to be hopeful for my future.

I continued living while working toward my goals, and I nearly had the life I wanted, but suddenly, the most bitter and worst events started to happen. Events that I had never thought about. Suddenly, all of my goals and plans became just dreams. Suddenly, all of my rights and opportunities were stolen from me. All that happiness that I had turned into a nightmare. 

After American forces left Afghanistan, the Taliban regime took over our country. Seemingly overnight, everything changed for Afghan women. Imagine how scary it was for us. One day, we woke up, opened our eyes, and lost 20 years of progress overnight. It happened so quickly. Imagine how scary it was for us. Overnight, we became slaves, shameful creatures living in the shadows of our country. 

Afghanistan's current situation is more dire than shown on TV. 

These days can be considered the most tragic days of our lives. I can’t go to school, I can’t have a job. I can’t go to entertainment arenas. I can’t laugh outside. I can’t help my society because I am a girl. In Afghanistan, you can’t do anything if you are a girl. 

Girls cannot get an education. They cannot go outside alone without male supervision. We can only wear certain clothes. But that’s not all. The most tragic are forced marriages. That’s what happened to my sister. She was 17 years old when an older Talin proposed to her. Our family had few choices. My father’s only option to protect her was to give her to another man. Now, she’s married to that man. I remember how hopeful and interested she was about studying and making her dream come true. Then, suddenly, everything became difficult. 

But these rules and restrictions could never stop me. I am still standing strongly to help my country’s brave girls. I believe education is the most powerful weapon to change a community, a nation, and even the world. Currently, I’m volunteering to teach young, brave Afghan girls. I have numerous classes, and they are nearly full. These courageous girls come from all over Afghanistan. Some speak Farsi/Dari, and others have cultures different from mine. Nevertheless, we are all trying to achieve the same goals and objectives. The power and motivation inside of each of us inspires the other. We persist regardless of the Taliban. 

People don’t know how hard it is to see your wishes die in front of your eyes. But I am a woman and will show the Talibs what a woman can do. I believe that we can handle anything by standing firm, staying hopeful about the future, and never giving up. I hope for the freedom of all Afghan women!