Marzia grew up in Herat, the fifth of seventh children. She feels her life did not begin until after the fall of the Taliban. She is currently a student, and after her studies, hopes to be a lawyer working for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
I Am Surviving
January 10, 2011 12 Comments
In some ways, the orphans and I have a lot in common. We are survivors. Some define a survivor as someone who manages to live through a bad situation. Others define a survivor as one who lives on after their loved one has died. A real survivor is someone who gets through the bad stuff and does not let the bad stuff get in the way of life.
A Letter to My Parents
February 2, 2010 20 Comments
When I was twelve years old, I had my first marriage proposal. The person was my aunt’s sixteen-year-old grandson. My parents were furious at the boy’s family because I was a child who didn’t know the meaning of marriage.
A Calculated Risk
October 2, 2009 2 Comments
Life is like a river. Sometimes it is rough, and other times, calm. We are all on a journey and do not know where the river will lead us. Since life offers no guarantees and we will not know whether our decision is wrong until we have made it, I believe we should take the risk and not be paralyzed by fear. Taking action is better than going nowhere.
My Father’s Story
July 11, 2009 8 Comments
By knowing our parents, we can better know ourselves. For this reason, I went to my father and asked him to tell me about his life and parents. I learned many things from what my father said about his life and I hope you also learn something. I write this in my father’s own words:
My name is Nasrullah. During my childhood, there were no vaccines for diseases such as small-pox
Childhood Memory: Zainab’s Death
July 11, 2009 8 Comments
When I was ten years old, I was a student in a tailoring shop. In my teacher’s neighborhood there lived a family with one son and one daughter. Their son was 7 and their daughter was 14.
In our culture, girls are not allowed to have boyfriends or relations before they get married. But this family’s daughter had a boyfriend without telling anyone about it. The girl’s name was Zainab; she
Untitled
May 16, 2009 3 Comments
I will never forget the day that my sister was engaged and my brother took us to the Herat Road River for a picnic. It was a very nice spring day and the river was roaring. We were looking at the river and enjoying ourselves when suddenly three Taliban appeared. They beat my father, brother, and brother-in-law with whips because the Taliban didn’t let men go on picnics with women…
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