“We want to be heard, to show the world that Afghan girls can build and endure”
Motahara“I’m a mother of two children, aged 3 and 5, and a second-year nursing student. In the previous regime, I was fortunate that I could focus solely on raising my children while my husband worked as a government employee. Over time, however, my husband was laid off from his job and could no longer work. His unemployment and hardship led to severe mental health issues.
I decided to overcome my fears and took on the responsibility of providing for my family and giving my children a better life. I tirelessly strived for a better future, attending morning classes while working as a security camera officer at a private company to provide a good life for my children. Every time I left home, the haunting voice of my child saying ‘don’t go, mommy,’ echoed in my ears. However, I embraced the warmth of a mother being able to provide a better life for my children.
After 15 August, not only my life but the lives of all Afghan women changed. Women became housebound, and girls lost their fundamental rights, such as the right to work and study. In one unfortunate day, the fate of all Afghan girls took a drastic and terrible turn.
Now, I don’t even have the ability to buy a notebook for my child. My son writes in a notebook with a pencil, erases it and writes again.
On the one hand, I’m facing the bitterness of life, illness and my husband’s tough attitude, and on the other hand, I’m experiencing the strong pressure of the Taliban, such as the harassment and persecution of women who do not wear the hijab and who are deprived of the right to expression and education, which have both led to me to tolerate numerous hardships.
After a few months of wallowing in such despair, I realized that I have to be strong for my children, so I started baking some cakes and cookies at home that my husband could sell at the market. I also have two other women who help me. I hope to one day be able to grow my business so that I can provide more jobs for other women.
We must rise, united as one voice, and demonstrate that we can achieve our fundamental rights to work, an education and freedom.”