“The day they informed me that I could no longer teach, life became meaningless”

“My name is Monesa, and I am 25 years old. Even after two years, I am still in shock about the sudden fall of Kabul. On that day, I was busy administering exams to my students when a colleague rushed in and said, ‘Hurry, everyone go home; the Taliban have come, and Afghanistan has fallen’.  

In haste, I joined my colleagues in a school vehicle, traversing the roads of Takhar one after another. The streets were filled with the scent of fear, and the sounds of gunfire and people fleeing were overwhelming. 

When I first saw the Taliban in the northern district, I was momentarily in shock inside the vehicle. That day, I buried all my dreams. Life completely unraveled for me after that day, as I was constrained within the four walls of a house. 

I graduated from the English Literature Department of Kabul University and, until the Taliban took over, I was a teacher at a private school in Takhar, teaching English to girls in middle grade and high school. 

One day, after the Taliban took over, the school administration contacted me to return to work. I went to the school with a forced smile and returned home with tearful eyes. As I entered the school, a group of Taliban came, announcing the closure of schools for girls above the sixth grade.  

Since I taught in middle and high school, I lost my job and was reassigned to the administrative section of the school. But the Taliban didn’t allow me to work in the administrative section either, stating that I was a young girl and couldn’t work there. Instead, a man should be hired. 

I have no idea how I got back home that day. I cried openly on the street [a public display of pain that is frowned upon in my culture]. I wasn’t thinking that people could see me and [about how they would judge me as a bad person]. When I entered the house, I screamed and shouted that I no longer have permission to work for one reason: I am a woman. 

I have tried to find solutions for my self-sufficiency and have learned to make some handicrafts, like bows and earrings by watching YouTube channels. I work in this field now and earn enough to cover my daily expenses. 

I urge Afghan women and girls not to give up and create opportunities for themselves. I also ask the international community to make serious efforts to support the continuation of education and work for women in Afghanistan.”