Young Afghan Girls Find Ways to Keep Learning, Report Says

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of girls were banned from attending school beyond sixth grade. Many found a way to continue their studies through informal tutoring centers, but those too have come under increased scrutiny as the government continues to crack down on women and girls’ access to education, according to The Hechinger Report.


As a group of girls in Kabul have been grappling with all this, they’ve formed a connection with some other teens half a world away in California. The two sets of students, through meetings on Zoom talking about their lives and goals, formed the Flowers for the Future club, now a branch of the Eileen Murphy Foundation, according to the report.


In this op-ed, the report includes two essays from members of the club: Mahsa Kosha in Afghanistan and Emily Khossaravi in California. (June 2023)