[ Teens in California and Afghanistan have formed the Flowers for
the Future club to help keep dreams of education alive]
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YOUNG AFGHAN GIRLS ARE FINDING WAYS TO KEEP LEARNING  
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Mahsa Kosha and Emily Khossaravi
May 16, 2023
Hechinger Report
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_ Teens in California and Afghanistan have formed the Flowers for the
Future club to help keep dreams of education alive _

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, tens of
thousands of girls were banned from attending school beyond sixth
grade. But a group of girls in Kabul formed a connection with some
other teens half a world away in California. , Petros
Giannakouris/Associated Press

 

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.

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 [[link removed]] club, now a branch of
the Eileen Murphy Foundation.

Below are two essays from members of the club: Mahsa Kosha in
Afghanistan and Emily Khossaravi in California.

“LIKE A WALKING DEAD”: BEING A TEENAGE GIRL WHO WANTS TO STUDY
UNDER TALIBAN RULE

_BY MAHSA KOSHA_

I was born in 2006. I continued my childish life from birth to 6 years
old and had a relatively good childhood period. I had many dolls and
friends at that time. My yellow-haired doll’s name is Princess. I
love her so much because she is so loyal that I still have her. When I
was 6 years old, I started studying in school. Later, I started
studying English, too. I continued my school and course lessons until
our economic situation deteriorated and I could not study English
anymore.

My younger sister was born with a heart problem. My parents got into a
lot of debt to treat her, and we entered very difficult years. But my
sister became healthy, and my parents were trying very hard to allow
us to study. A few years later, I was back studying English and math
at the same time at school.

Until the age of 14, I had a completely normal life. I was studying
and trying to achieve great success in the future. I wanted to become
a pilot. At that age, I didn’t really understand the concept of
failure, and I continued my life without any fear or concern, and
every day I moved forward with small successes. I got four
certificates of appreciation from different departments, one of which
was from a cultural community. I gained from singing hymns and
reciting poems. I thought that “I will continue my work and efforts
and within a few years I will reach bigger goals,” unaware that it
will not happen.

With the arrival of the Taliban, a new page opened in my life, and my
life entered into great changes. After the Taliban seized power
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many problems arose, and I suffered many failures. I really entered
into a back-breaking transformation. At the beginning of the ban on
the entry of girls to my school, I was depressed, and I was like a
walking dead, and I didn’t want to continue my studies.

But in those hard days, I was not alone. My older brother tried very
hard to help me and always encouraged me to study. He even brought me
very good motivational books to read and try, such as “Atomic
Habits” and “The Power of Habit.” One day, my brother showed me
a picture he had taken of an ad for a place where girls could go take
classes. When I went to the address, I saw a lot of other girls who
were like me and were looking for lessons in courses. Slowly I got the
motivation to study again and started reading books on the side of
those lessons. I continued in the promised course.

But this time they closed the course gates on us, and this time I will
fight back and search for methods to achieve my dreams.

The arrival of the Taliban taught me that I have to fight against my
problems. Someone who has always been in the dark and struggled with
problems wants to reach the light and understands the light. I try to
reach it. Only someone who faces their problems can succeed.

An example is James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits.” He was
hit by a baseball bat right in the middle of his face when he was in
high school, which caused his brain to be crushed inside his skull.
Despite all the problems he had, he got back on his feet better than
before. The work he did turned out to be very strong. He was able to
get perfect grades in all subjects by the end of the year, and six
years later he was selected as the best male athlete at Denison
University in Ohio. His book gave me new motivation and changed my way
of thinking in life. Well, I will take James Clear as my example and
continue on my way again like any other Afghan girl.

 

HOW INSPIRATION AND FRIENDSHIP FROM ACROSS THE WORLD HELP CREATE A
GLOBAL CLUB

_BY EMILY KHOSSARAVI_

I still remember the first day of my AP World History class in 2021. I
walked into the class, eager and excited for the year to come. Little
did I know that class would change my life.

On the first day, my teacher, Timothy Stiven, announced that we would
be meeting with girls from a tutoring center in Afghanistan on Zoom
the next day. I was so excited about the experience. That afternoon,
when I got home, I immediately sent an email to Mr. Stiven and
indicated that I could talk to the students in Farsi if it would make
them feel more comfortable. The next day, I introduced our class and
spoke with the Afghan students, asking them how they were doing and
what their hopes and dreams were for the future. They responded with a
variety of answers: Some wanted to work in the fields of computer
science, others wanted to pursue their soccer dreams and yet others
wanted to write literature. Witnessing their determination and
eagerness to continue to learn despite not being allowed to go to
school was amazing and inspired us to amplify their voices
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I began translating a collection of one hundred poems that one of the
girls had written. I began corresponding with her, and we started
sharing goals. It wasn’t until then that I was fully hit with the
intense dedication of these girls. Despite her situation, this girl
still aimed to learn the advanced topics of chemistry and mathematics,
as well as English grammar. She also asked me how I foster
productivity and organize my schedule.

Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one inspired. As we began meeting
over Zoom more and more often, the club Flowers for the Future
emerged. Through the club, we sought to provide the girls with
interactive STEM and humanities lessons, in topics such as biology,
chemistry and English and engage them in continuing their education,
even when they couldn’t go to school. The club has grown to include
branches in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Hong Kong, Australia and more. We
will continue to expand, with the goal of having the girls achieve
their dreams, while striving to make a positive impact on everyone’s
life.

Flowers for the Future has served as a platform to connect students
through the passion of learning different subjects; it emphasizes the
importance of learning through the connections between schools
thousands of miles apart. Not only do we seek to help educate these
girls in Afghanistan, but we also seek to inspire others to do the
same. Because education is worth pursuing – it advances humanity.

_This story about Afghan education
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produced by __The Hechinger Report_
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organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign
up for our __higher education newsletter_
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* Afghanistan
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* Taliban
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* Education
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* gender discrimination
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