Written by Parastou Ashori
My name is Parastou Ashori, and I am a women's rights activist and the co-founder of
HerPathToKnowledge, an organization that provides underground education to Afghan girls
who have been denied the right to learn. I continue my passion for journalism as a student
at Suffolk University in the United States. But my story begins far away, in a beautiful small
village of Badakhshan, Afghanistan.
I was born in 2003, in a place so remote that until 2006, it had no roads. The villagers had
never seen a car, and there was no clinic to care for the sick. For medical help, families had
to travel for days on the backs of donkeys to reach the nearest city. We lived without
electricity, and most children in our village didn’t even know what electricity was.
Technology was limited to the radio and a tape recorder that ran on batteries. Television
was a foreign concept.
Education for girls was nearly impossible in this isolated region. There was no school for
girls in our village, and few families saw the value in educating their daughters. I was just
three years old when my family, seeking a better future for me and my siblings, made the
difficult decision to leave our village and move to a city (Kunduz). This decision marked the
beginning of a new chapter for us as the first educated family in our village.
I began school at the age of four, which was somewhat unusual in my community. But very
quickly, I discovered a deep passion for learning. I was eager to absorb everything I could,
and within a short time, I was able to read and write. From the very beginning, I felt the
power of education and its potential to change lives. This spark of curiosity and
determination became the foundation for my future work as a journalist and women's
rights advocate.
As I grew older, I became increasingly aware of the barriers that Afghan girls face when it
comes to education. In eighth grade, I organized a small class for girls in my community
who were denied an education due to their families' cultural restrictions. This experience
cemented my commitment to gender equality, and I realized how deeply entrenched the
disparities were between the opportunities available to Afghan girls and those available to
boys.
I graduated from high school at the age of 15, but by then, the political and security
situation in Afghanistan had become increasingly dire. The ongoing war, coupled with rising
violence, made it clear that I could not stay in Afghanistan if I wanted to continue my
education and work for women’s rights. In 2021, I moved to India, where I continued my
studies in journalism, while continuing to fight for Afghan women through writing and
activism. I wrote extensively about the struggles Afghan women face, particularly their right
to education and the barriers imposed by both culture and conflict.
In 2022, I arrived in the United States, where I now pursue my studies in journalism.
Throughout my journey, Afghan women have always been at the forefront of my thoughts.
The recent events in Afghanistan, where girls and women have been denied access to
education and basic freedoms under the Taliban regime, have only strengthened my
resolve to fight for gender equality.
In response to this ongoing crisis, I co-founded HerPathToKnowledge alongside Afghan
musician Huma Rahimi. Our mission is simple: to provide underground education to
Afghan girls who are denied the opportunity to learn. Through this initiative, we are
empowering a new generation of Afghan women to pursue their dreams, despite the
challenges they face.
I envision an Afghanistan where no woman is deprived of her basic human rights simply
because of her gender. I dream of a country where every girl can go to school, where
women have equal opportunities in all areas of life, and where their voices are heard and
valued. My journey is just one story among many, but it is a story, driven by hope, by the
belief that change is possible, and by the unwavering commitment to a future where Afghan
women no longer have to fight for the rights they deserve.
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