17/06/2026
My journey with the loss of education began in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was 12 years old when I started hearing whispers that the Taliban might return to power and that Afghanistan was going to collapse. At first, I did not believe it, but soon it became reality, and everything changed. In 2021, Afghanistan fell, and the Taliban returned to power. Girls were banned from attending school beyond Grade 6, and girls’ rights were taken away. At that time, I was a Grade 8 student. My right to education and freedom was taken away, and I was forced to stay at home, like millions of other Afghan girls, simply because I was born a girl.
My parents worried constantly about my future and the future of my sisters. Eventually, my family fled to Pakistan because becoming refugees was the only way for us to stay safe and continue our education. However, I could not continue my education there due to a lack of documentation.
After living in Pakistan for many years, we came to Canada through family sponsorship. I became an immigrant in Canada, I still remember entering school after so many years; being back felt like a dream. But even then, I never forgot what was happening in Afghanistan. I knew that I had the opportunity to go to school while millions of Afghan girls did not.
My journey and the situation of Afghan girls inspired me to create my YouTube channel, “Sahar Calls for Action,” where I advocate for girls’ education and share the struggles of Afghan girls with the world. The challenges I faced taught me resilience, courage, and the importance of speaking out against injustice. Today, I use my voice to support Afghan girls because of my own lived experiences and the loss of education.I hope that as I continue this advocacy journey, I can inspire many other people to take action in support of girls’ education.
(Sahar Azimi, 18, Afghanistan)
