<
https://zantimes.com/2025/03/26/how-do-girls-secret-schools-operate-in-afghanistan-2/>
"In the corner of a modest home in Afghanistan, a line of shoes reveals a quiet
act of defiance. Each pair belongs to a girl who has come in secret to continue
her education. Freshta*, a mother of five, opened her living room to teach her
14-year-old daughter after the Taliban shut down girls’ schools. Word quickly
spread, and soon 25 girls were gathering in her home.
“The girls were depressed and had lost all hope,” Freshta recalls. “But I told
them we could still learn, even from home.”
To hide their efforts, Freshta told neighbors she was teaching Quranic
interpretation and placed religious books in plain sight. Her eldest daughter,
once a university student, began helping with lessons. With few supplies,
students pooled money for a whiteboard and markers. Rotating responsibilities,
they stretched what little they had to keep the school alive.
Then the landlord raised the rent and threatened to report them. When he
followed through, Taliban officials came to their home. Fortunately, it was
outside class hours. Freshta’s husband convinced them it was a Quran class. The
Taliban left, but the family was forced to vacate. Freshta later connected with
the Daricha school network, which supports underground girls’ schools across
Afghanistan.
Since its founding in 2020 by Canada-based writer Hazrat Wahrez, Daricha has
supported 66 home-based schools in 20 provinces, educating 4,500 girls.
Initially self-funded, Wahrez later secured international support. At its peak,
Daricha paid 175 female teachers and several staff, providing salaries,
classroom supplies, and winter heating gas. But in May 2024, donor funding was
cut. Teachers were told they could stop. None did.
Freshta, unpaid and with her husband unemployed, couldn’t pay rent for five
months. When the landlord began harassing students, she borrowed 30,000 afghani
to stay. She now hopes to reopen in a quieter location with a supportive
landlord.
Zan Times spoke to 20 female teachers across Afghanistan. Most began teaching
with little more than chalk and courage. Eventually, some joined Daricha and
received basic support. But even when the money stopped, the teaching did not."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-health-center-rooted-in-nature/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
