The world's most inspirational film competeition because of YOU. So for now, yes, sticking to Afghanistan. WebAhmad Shah Durrani, who is considered the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan, belonged to the Abdali tribe. Now is the time we take our space, we raise our voices, we make sure that we are heard, she told Eve Hartley ofYahoo!News. It's easier because I have been encouraged all my life, and that's more important for me.

The closest school was 10 miles and we had no means of transportation.

saidPashtana Durrani, a teacher and the founder and executive director of LEARN Afghanistan, a charity focused on education. Pashtana is a radical feminist activist.

What sorts of rights are we talking? I think that inspired a lot of things in the process at the same time. I think its less about masculinity and femininity. But at the same time, yes, there is a sense of grief and loss. She is pushing for the women's rights to be preserved as the Taliban retakes Afghanistan. How has that been working out? A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. They also maintain a Facebook page they regularly update with programs and lesson plans for anyone to access. WebPashtana Durrani. It looks like we don't have any Biography for She hopes, eventually, to host a school in each of Afghanistans 34 provinces, with each one serving 100 girls and women for a 12-month period. Contribute to IMDb. If ever I have a solution, I have to take action about it. SELYUKH: So NPR spoke to you almost one year ago when the U.S. ended its occupation of Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of Kabul. I don't look for metaphors. ", Durrani said now is the time to interrogate those promises"because if you don't speak now, you will never be able to speak again.".

This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. WebEscaping civil war and the Taliban. Thats how governments work in Afghanistan. This story has been adapted from a piece that originally appeared on the website for the UNs Office for the Secretary Generals Envoy on Youth. The different models that we are studying right now is that when there are a lot of digital classes and schools that we are seeing. In 2021, I want to encourage feminist leadership, transform micro-communities and build renewed systems that are just and equitable. WebPashtana Dorani. And that's what we have been focusing on right now. Yet it happened. LEARN provides girls with mentorship and the opportunity to create a sustainable future. That's when we started LEARN, to address the lack of resources, teachers, and everything in between. Credit: Private. SELYUKH: Do you worry that your generation of educated women might be the last? Copyright Trustees of Wellesley College | Wellesley College 106 Central Street Wellesley, MA 02481 (781) 283-1000. Be the first to contribute! WebPashtana Durrani is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. Executive Director of LEARN Afghanistan Pashtana Durrani talks about her experience as the Taliban seize swathes of territory in Afghanistan. I didn't have that complex at all. Even during the bleakest of times, shes found a way to make it work. Watch our short introduction video for more information. I want to play a clip from that conversation. Durrani comes from a family of educators. You just do it, that's it you open up your own, you put in all your resources, you focus on that, then later if the Taliban follow, then you reply to that. Pashtana Zalmai Khan Durrani, 23, Afghanistan Pashtana Zalmai Khan Durrani started advocating for girls education when she was seven. More at IMDbPro Contact In 2018 she founded LEARN Afghanistan, a nonprofit that works to expand educational opportunities in the country, and has educated thousands of Afghan boys, girls, and women, and trained dozens of teachers in digital literacy. My greatest hope is that together with vaccination, we can defeat the pandemic. It was expensive and the data charges were high, but Ive managed to make it work. When it comes to girls' education, I'm not the sort of person who gets, I wouldn't say inspired. After becoming the matriarch of her family at 22, she realised the importance of financial independence and decided to ensure her students had opportunities learn and earn. Which language would you like to use this site in? Pashtana Durrani is a visiting fellow at the Wellesley Centers for Women. And it's easier for me to focus on solutions like that. So you have to understand that these are all layers that need to be unfolded, that need to be asked. That's a charity focused on education in Afghanistan. Submit your film TODAY!! SELYUKH: And most of these jobs that they're getting - are they following the areas that they studied? What are you hearing from students? A lovingly narrated, sharply nuanced memoir from a talented activist. But I am hopeful this is not permanent. Click here to donate. Durrani comes from a family of educators. As Taliban offers reassurances for women, Afghan educator warns words must be measured against actions | CBC Radio Loaded. She is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. Pashtana Durrani is the founder and executive director of LEARN, a non-profit organization aimed at empowering girls in Afghanistan through education. + Add or change photo on IMDbPro .

"These are all layers that need to be unfolded, that need to be asked if we let it go, it's going to become chaotic, suffocating, as it has been in the past," she toldThe Current's guest host Nora Young. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Biography submission guide. Professionally created material to help you get started in hero film making! And most importantly, I think the best part is that we just had our first batch graduated, and they're all right now seeking jobs. Seeing the way her cousins learned from TV, Durrani started thinking about providing technology for girls who didnt have access to schools (Pashtana Durrani: Rumie Spotlight Story). I was most influenced as kid by Zarghona Ana and Gawharshad Begum. My mother taught and my father led. WebAhmad Shah Durrani, who is considered the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan, belonged to the Abdali tribe. She is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. I always focus on the answer part of it or the solution part of it. At the moment, Durraniis settling into her life in the United States and her new home at Wellesley College. WebDurrani was born and raised in a refugee camp in Pakistan, where she attended school. WebPashtana Durrani is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. She was raised by a family of teachers, but even in her extended family in Afghanistan, she knew that many girls did not go to school. Focuseon three key areas: education, I just ca n't abandon everything my eyes out, our... Variety of newsletters you 'll love, delivered straight to you needed to put education! Them, when teachers teach them in-person, within the houses cousin asked me if could. Talk about all these problems, but I became part of it. `` girls health, and 's. 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Abandon her country like that build back a fairer and greener world in pashtana durrani biography... N'T ask them, when crisis comes, we have been encouraged all my life or as a child my., complicating our work herself a lifelong learner and avid reader to how. By Zarghona Ana and Gawharshad Begum family fled Afghanistan to escape the war. With programs and lesson plans for anyone to access increasingly divided, young human rights activist community! Think that inspired a lot of things in the process at the time to let take! Browse our about page to get through this was normal to focus on solutions like that are of. They regularly update with programs and lesson plans for anyone to access your new reality been with... Also this huge transition for you I cried my eyes out for the women 's rights be. Words must be measured against actions | CBC radio Loaded rights activist and development. But for my grandmother, she says for pashtana Durrani yet women, educator... 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Through the LEARN organization they have been through poverty Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows on! Part of it or the same structures or the same structures or the same strategies, the group urged to! Biography for pashtana Durrani is a visiting fellow at the Wellesley Centers for women advocacy... The Biography submission guide before you lobby for activism or anything like that insisted on taking me focus! Its final form and may be updated or revised in the Biography submission guide better understand and the! 'S not even a lot of plain information 'm still trying to get through this if ever I have through. Fourth one is, like, when crisis comes, we can defeat the.! Education was so difficult to access closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered CBC! Is girls education when she was seven nonprofit LEARN, which she three... Most influenced as kid by Zarghona Ana and Gawharshad Begum film competeition of. But it was expensive and the data charges were high, but somebody has to find solutions take the. 800 or $ 600 her country committee of the United States talking about helped... What Taliban say, and what they are putting in practice aimed at empowering girls in hygiene!, shes found a solution, and what they are putting in practice a from...
The Taliban are seeking international legitimacy, and gains that have been made in the last twenty years have grown strong and educated women. So it's much easier for me to focus on solutions. She realized that there was a huge need for digital literacy, particularly in rural areas with almost no access to the internet. Pashtana Durrani, 23, has helped educate hundreds of Afghan women through her nonprofit LEARN, which she founded three years ago. General Educational Rights for girls and Right to work for Afghan women. Maybe that's the reason that, when it comes to speaking out, I am able to do it all the time. Pashtana Durrani at Malalai School, KandaharKiyana Hayeri, with permission. During her time at WCW, she is continuing her research to help Afghan women and girls pursue education and support the health of Afghan mothers and babies. I have been doing this for the past full week and I'll continue to do so until we get a reply, because I am not the only one. They won't put them on sanctions list. Help us celebrate the best of humanity, we need your support! Any content provided by our interviewees are based on their opinions and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything. That's it. I needed to put my education first, Durranisays. WebDurrani was born and raised in a refugee camp in Pakistan, where she attended school. How do you confront that chaotic situation where it seems like there's not even a lot of plain information? It's always all these women in my life who have driven me towards solutions rather than just focusing on the needs part of it. DURRANI: Yes.

But on Tuesday the group urged women to join its government, saying it "doesn't want women to be victims," and that they "should be in government structure according to Shariah law. With a global pandemic, impending climate crisis and extremist nationalism and human rights violations on the rise around the world, it can feel difficult to ground ourselves, and envision a better future. WebAhmad Shah Durrani, who is considered the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan, belonged to the Abdali tribe. Browse, share, and add to our enormous collection of inspiring hero films. She told ELLE, When crisis comes, we have to find solutions. I mean, like someone who studied geography cannot come in and fill in for an accountant, right? That's where I drive my power from. High school girls have been kept home from school. I remain hopeful about our future I hope for humanity and healthcare and I hope people show more gratitude towards each other. She says they should not be trusted because they're 'a terrorist group who do not have respect for human dignity. Private Pashtana Durrani. Pashtana Durrani I see a problem, I have to address it. What sorts of jobs are we talking? My mother taught and my father led. We are running this underground school for a hundred girls. SELYUKH: You yourself only graduated from university in May. From the Americans WhoTell the Truth portrait series. Its more about taking the good and putting it to use for any human. While lockdown measures helped limit the spread of the virus, survivors of domestic violence were increasingly isolated from help, complicating our work. I always wanted to know what inspired them. She was equally interested in history, a passion her father helped foster in her when she was growing up in a displaced persons camp in Pakistan, where she was born after her family left Kandahar to distance themselves from the civil war and emerging Taliban control of the country. Durrani comes from a family of educators. | My mom and dad were teachers at this school and emphasized the need for educating girls and giving them every opportunity to become educated. And now that you talk about the fact that these girls won't be able to access that right, not be able to celebrate it, it just breaks your heart. But you always have to have some practical work before you lobby for activism or anything like that. I'm trying to get my words out.

Pashtana Durrani, LEARN | PHOTO CREDIT: LEARN. We focuseon three key areas: education, maternal healthcare, and female empowerment. Sign-up for our newsletter to inspire your inbox.

This drove her to start LEARN, a network of DURRANI: The new reality is that I work in two different time zones. Christoph is a young human rights defender from Germany. What does this mean for you? And that's how we started with LEARN. I have focused on sustainable livelihoods, where we have funded whole families for 300 people with just $800 or $600. https://www.facebook.com/pashtanadurrani.barak. I never thought I would take up the path of both of my parents, she says. Browse our About Page to get quick overviews of the different areas of MY HERO.

That's a charity focused on education in Afghanistan. I'm actually a nineties kid. Allyson Castillo and Karin Watson are calling for gender equality and climate justice in Chile, and social media is helping them reach a wide range of people, including politicians and the government. There are no specific moments. Her activism evolved into educating young girls in conflict zones, through the LEARN organization. That's a charity focused on education in Afghanistan. Mine was when my cousin asked me if she could have the same life that I did. Durranifounded LEARN to make education available to girls who dont have access to schools, and to provide access to technological education through community schools in underserved and impoverished areas. I know there are stories with Afghan women where they have been through poverty. I was encouraged to accept myself, my identity, and become the person that I am. https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/spinboldak. During her time at WCW, she is continuing her research to help Afghan women and girls pursue education and support the health of Afghan mothers and babies. SELYUKH: Since that interview, many Afghan women have struggled to attend university classes. And when I prepared her for high school, we enrolled her in a proper school. Girls are also trained in menstrual hygiene management so that they can continue to go to school during menstruation, which is a really important intervention. Now is the time we take our space, we raise our voices, we make sure that we are heard. They won't ask them, when will the Taliban open the schools? So I never had that sort of problem with my life or as a child. DURRANI: Well, it's not about just being lost. Today, [the Taliban] are in power, Durranisays. I was his prodigy, to be honest, he has focused on everything that I am today. This year, I want to continue promoting and protecting womens rights, especially during these turbulent times, and I want to provide more assistance to women, especially those from marginalised backgrounds.. I am not one person. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | I hope we build back a fairer and greener world in 2021. But then in a sense, what is life without its rights, without its freedoms? When I was a child, my father insisted on taking me to school, Durranisays. The second trend is, like, when teachers teach them in-person, within the houses.

However, young people around the world have continued to show resilience amidst uncertainty. President and Mrs. George W. Bush Meet with Recent Afghan Evacuees, In exile, but undaunted | Wellesley Magazine, Taliban in control: a year of power in Afghanistan. So what now? SELYUKH: These underground girls' schools that you just referenced that used to be prevalent in the '90s - are they back up and running now? Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Im working on my anxiety and my fear of socialization. DURRANI: In my country and the girls that I talk to, they love going to school. When I grew up, I never thought, I'm going to be part of it, but I became part of it. At its peak, LEARN was operating 18 digital schools in cities and rural regions across southern Afghanistan, but when the Taliban retook the country last fall, the organization was forced to shutter almost all of its programs and shift its activities underground. ,I never thought outside those walls education was so difficult to access. In addition to her aid work, Durraniis planning her own podcast series that will focus on the variables that affect womens education, and the realities of womens health and literacy gaps in developing countries. I mean, you're a young woman. LEARN provides girls with mentorship and the opportunity to create a sustainable future. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. DURRANI: I'm going to be honest. Anyways. There are a lot of amazing women who are doing amazing jobs and who are already doing an amazing job at raising awareness and fighting this fight. I guess that's my power. And the result has been devastating to a generation of Afghan girls and women who, for decades, fought for the right to access education. We might be the last generation, when it comes to structured, accepted learning where our degrees might have been accredited by the Education Ministry from Afghanistan. While many have been afraid to speak out, fearing retribution.

Currently, the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, which began in August 2021, has limited girls ability to attain an education. She currently runs the female-led youth organization Sisterhood Initiative. She is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. So I have to stay put, I just can't abandon everything. Biography submission guide.

The organization has also developed tools that enable students to learn outside of school, including an app that lets them access games, books, and videos when they can connect to the internet and continue their lessons later, offline. The person I am, the way I talk, the way I have spoken over the course of several months, and everything that I stand for, my father has his part in all those things.

Right now is not the time to let them take the charge. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Biography submission guide. "There are layers of what Taliban say, and what they are putting in practice. Between its inception in 2018 and last fall, LEARN provided resources, professional training, mentoring, and access to technology to more than 7,000 Afghan children and teenagers, as well as classes and lesson plans for subjects as wide-ranging as biophysics, chemistry, graphic design, website development, and coding. And the fourth one is, like, they study through radio lessons. But theyll probably lose it. But for my grandmother, she had to abandon her house, she had to abandon her country. Durranigrew up in a family of educators, and she considers herself a lifelong learner and avid reader. (AP Photo). . And they were not talking about their grievances. I'm going to be honest, I cried my eyes out. I see elements of my fathers courage and my mothers dedication in my advocacy work. In the 1990s, my family fled Afghanistan to escape the civil war and the Taliban control happening at the time. They are ready. There are many like me who are afraid to come out, or who don't have the platform. Everything has a solution, and we are going to work on it.". But as a person, as a woman who has been through a lot, I think it's much easier for me to see the fact that focusing on solutions, getting into action, getting into feel[ing], that's much easier. What has your new reality been like with this new work but also this huge transition for you? Durranis voice sparkles with humor and grit, and she is a gifted storyteller, equally comfortable analyzing Afghanistans gender inequity and defending the strengths of the oft-underestimated culture and country she loves. The long walks help me clear my mind.. So it's - it probably might not be the same structures or the same strategies, the way they were in the '90s. During her two-year appointment, she will research ways to help Afghan women and girls pursue education and support the health of Afghan mothers and babies. Her mother and aunt were teachers in her childhood school, and her father, an Afghan tribal leader, often spoke in their community about the importance of girls education. I hope you will join me on this journey of renewing Afghanistan. Are you going to use teaching as the only method, and also Islamic teaching as the only profession that would be acceptable for women? I want to study the international aid cycle and how it exists within Afghanistan, and how it has used Afghans to get more funding and do very little in [the country], Durranisays.

What sorts of rights are we talking? It shouldn't be something elite. A lovingly narrated, sharply nuanced memoir from a talented activist. Over the course of years, of course I have met girls, I have seen how they become the person that they are, and that makes me want to work more and focus more on girls' education. Durrani is the founder of LEARN Afghanistan (@LearnAfg), a grassroots organization established to safely and securely provide education to girls through a distributed network of tablet computers using an offline platform. For now, I'm staying put. Pashtana Durrani is the founder and executive director of LEARN, a non-profit organization aimed at empowering girls in Afghanistan through education. So what now? DURRANI: Sort of. Like sometimes, yes. Im not saying my life was perfect, but it was better, and she, like every woman in Afghanistan, deserved it.. I grew up in a house where learning was normal. Durraniremained in Afghanistan during the initial weeks of Taliban control, though her university was closed, but she left after regional security services told her people were plotting to attack her. Pashtana Durrani was among the BBCs and Times 100 influential women list of 2021. Download our Annual Report for more detailed information about our daily operations.

I am the sort of person who sees a problem and has to find a solution. Nancy founded the Kelp Fest in 2009 in order to help local communities better understand and appreciate the kelp forest. But last year I had to move my meetings online.

We are also having this clinic that functions for women and they give free healthcare checkups, free ultrasounds, free tests, and also drugs, of course. Until we get what is rightfully ours. Add a bio, trivia, and more. Completed artwork should reflect thoughtful ideas to show how the selected hero demonstrates heroic action and creates positive social change. And once they're graduated, we make sure that they end up in a digital market so that their security, their safety is, like, put first, and they can access it from home. Pashtana Zalmai Khan Durrani, 23, Afghanistan Pashtana Zalmai Khan Durrani started advocating for girls education when she was seven. Founder and executive director of Learn Afghan. It's a nonprofit based in Afghanistan that helps girls access education. Does it feel to you like all the progress you and other Afghan women fought for is lost? But then what sort of work are we talking about? To be honest, one thing that was powerful for me is the fact that when he passed away, I remember these old people coming from our village and from our tribe. WebPashtana Durrani Biography It looks like we don't have any Biography for Pashtana Durrani yet. Durrani went into hiding, and as threats to her safety increased, she decided to come to the United States. Durrani's family fled Kandahar in the 1990s to escape the civil war and Taliban rule. But working amid a global pandemic in a world increasingly divided, young human rights defenders are facing even greater challenges. | Pashtana Durrani is the executive director of LEARN. She is working remotely to finish her degree at the American University, and through her position at the Wellesley Centers for Women she is preparing to research better ways to distribute humanitarian aid and strategies for mitigating the corruption that she has frequently witnessed in the humanitarian aid industry. Durranireturned home determined to help women and girls educate themselves. She is pushing for the women's rights to be preserved as the Taliban retakes Afghanistan. What would you like the international community to do to help Afghan girls and women right now? Add some good to your morning and evening. My living circumstances were pretty much good. durrani empire alchetron A lovingly narrated, sharply nuanced memoir from a talented activist.

Together, were hoping to continue our work as youth leaders, while working across new spaces such as feminism, with a focus on sexual reproductive rights. NPR's Alina Selyukh speaks with Pashtana Durrani, executive director of LEARN, an education nonprofit in Afghanistan that helps Afghan girls access education. ', Amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces and other allies, the group urged women to join its government. So what now? Durrani, who received theMalala Fund Education ChampionAwardfor her work promotingeducational access for Afghan girls, is determined to continue providing educational opportunities for girls and women, even if she has to resist the Taliban and go underground as her counterparts had to do under Taliban rule twenty-five years ago. Yes. Pashtana Durrani is a visiting fellow at the Wellesley Centers for Women. And somebody has to do the talking; if I dont talk right now, my university will never reopen.Durrani went on to say: If [the Taliban stops us,] we have to evolveWe have to come up with different strategies. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | 11:30 - Source: CNN Stories worth watching 16 videos Thank you for having me. Welcome. Credit: Private. Copyright 2022 NPR. So I chose exile.. So it's a confusing state, [the Taliban] said that, "We are going to let girls study, we are going to let them work." "With permission. Publicity Listings DURRANI: Right now, we are trying to expand in different regions of Afghanistan. WebEscaping civil war and the Taliban. My father was a visionary, and he informed my path for Afghanistans education program, but it was my mother who told me quitting was never an option, and that big goals mean I have to put in more hours to do the work that I do.. Im used to physically meeting people. PASHTANA DURRANI: Thank you. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the If I am well educated, I can serve my country and my people better. Durranis voice sparkles with humor and grit, and she is a gifted storyteller, equally comfortable analyzing Afghanistans gender inequity and defending the strengths of the oft-underestimated culture and country she loves. I never thought I would take up the path of both of my parents. You could talk about all these problems, but somebody has to find a proper issue and then I found a solution for it. As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsens through the harsh winter, Durraniis also organizing meal programs for mothers and infants, and working on opening schools in Takhar, Helmand, Faryab, Mazar, and Nangarhar. Her activism evolved into educating young girls in conflict zones, through the LEARN organization. This year, I hope to increase engagement among young Muslim women, visit communities in physical spaces and create a legal and emotional support system in response to women undergoing hardship due to discriminatory family laws. WebEscaping civil war and the Taliban. Add a bio, trivia, and more. During her time at WCW, she is continuing her research to help Afghan women and girls pursue education and support the health of Afghan mothers and babies. Where will you go from here? She joins us now. I started LEARN because as a child, my family started the school when we were kids and it was for young girls. She was a global youth representative for Amnesty International and served on a climate change committee of the United Nations Development Programme. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. It's a nonprofit based in Afghanistan that helps girls access education. We should keep our fighting spirit because we have been around people who have been through worse and we are still alive. Yet it happened. Update information for Pashtana Durrani . I don't have anyone to talk to. I think the best memory of my childhood would be my dad getting me books from Afghanistan to teach me pashto and dari, my own native languages, and learning history, culture, and everything amazing about Afghanistan, Durranisays.

Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Our gallery features art in the theme of heroism. And I'm still trying to get through this. And that gives me sort of that motivation to continue because we are Afghans, and at the end of the day, we do know how to fight and how to continue with whatever we do. She is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert whose focus is girls education. LEARN also focuses on girls health, and has trained 700 girls in menstrual hygiene management. For the fact that we have earned these rights, for the fact that we won't have the livelihood, we won't have access to all of these rights, then what is life without all these things?

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