Herstories

Exhibitions

: Tree of Life – the amazing story of Zainab (56) from Herat who lived through such tragedy with her husband and father being killed because they valued education for girls, after which she looked after her brothers and sisters and her 6 month old son by weaving hats and selling them. Exiled to Pakistan, she worked transporting electronic goods between Peshawar and Lahore and returned to Afghanistan in 2002. Because she single-handedly raised her siblings who are now doing very well (2 are abroad, 2 are doctors including her sister and her son is a successful businessman) she is now truly happy and proud of herself for her courage.

: Tree of Life – Nuria (34) who was married off to a illiterate farmer at the age of 16. She was from the city and didn’t know form life and struggled with her new life. She was a refugee in Pakistan with hr 4 children. She has sent her older children to her father’s house for studies including her daughter for which she has had to stand up to her husband’s family who do not believe that it is necessary. She is happy that despite her life of struggle, she was the only girl in her village to study till grade 10 and appreciates her father’s wisdom to send her to school when so many told him not to which gives her the strength to fight for it for her own daughters.

: Tree of Life – the story of Jameela (54) who remembers life under the Taliban before she and her husband put their children on donkeys and walked all the way to Pakistan as refugees. They returned after Karzai. She studies up to grade 10 before marriage and as a result secretly taught girl children in her neighbourhood how to read and write even though it was banned.

: Doing ‘Herstories in Afghanistan for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development