When the Taliban came to power
in 1996, one of the first rights denied to the women of Afghanistan
was the right to an education. Young girls in grade school to
women in graduate studies, were forbidden to go to school. Female
teachers were imprisoned. Female doctors were no longer allowed
to practice. Mothers were so desperate to have their daughters
receive an education that they risked their lives to get them
to 'secret' schools held in private homes scattered around the
city. The lack of financial resources and the deep shame of being
so far behind in their education prevents women from picking
up where they left off six years ago. Nineteen-year-olds would
now be in the third grade. When asked what their dreams were,
every woman we spoke to said that their number one priority was
to receive an education.
English Classes
Many women expressed a desire
to learn to speak English. English classes will be offered on
a year-round basis for any woman interested in attending.
Literacy Classes
Women will learn to read and
write in their own language, Farsi or Dari.
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