AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Since the Taliban returned to power five years ago, Afghan women have faced sweeping restrictions on nearly every aspect of daily life. But as NPR's D. Parvaz reports, many are determined to find ways around them.
D PARVAZ, BYLINE: After the Taliban came back to power in 2021 and shut out girls over the age of 12 from schools, clips like this flooded social media.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: "They say girls aren't allowed to go to school," an unnamed girl says, sobbing as she tosses her school bag to the floor.
The Taliban also blocked women from studying at universities. And that's the day when Afghan girls, who have never had it easy, had to learn to reinvent themselves again and again.
ZAHRA: The past five years have been very difficult for me emotionally.
PARVAZ: Zahra (ph) was a high school senior when the Taliban returned and prevented girls from taking the university entrance exam. She asked NPR to identify her by her first name only, fearing retribution from the Taliban.
ZAHRA: That experience stayed with me. It was not that I failed the exam. I never had the opportunity to take it.
PARVAZ: She regrouped. She studied English and German, planning to apply for a scholarship, but couldn't afford the application fee. The teenager then went to nursing school until the Taliban shut them down as well. She then found Ascend Athletics, an international nonprofit that focuses on empowering women through mountaineering.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing in non-English language).
PARVAZ: That's from a short film about Ascend showing Afghan girls singing as they climb. But now in Afghanistan, they focus on courses on mental health and entrepreneurship. And those courses, says Zahra, were a turning point for her. She's now studying online for a certification in project management.
ZAHRA: What I want most is to be part of advocacy work for girls' rights, especially for those who share the fate I did.
PARVAZ: Millions of Afghan girls never get the chance to start high school.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: That's Afghanistan International, a TV channel broadcast from London, reminding viewers that as of last month, it had been five years and 15 days since girls had been kept out of schools.
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ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: And that's Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid telling reporters that now is not the time to address the issue of girls' education.
NPR reached out to the Afghan Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs about the education of girls and women, but we didn't hear back. All the things the Taliban would rather not discuss weigh heavily on the minds and bodies of millions of Afghans. I spoke to a psychologist who requested we not name her, fearing retribution from the Taliban. And she's part of a network of mental health professionals connecting people, especially women, with tools and support.
UNIDENTIFIED PSYCHOLOGIST: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: She says she's shocked by the way she sees people trying to harm themselves now.
UNIDENTIFIED PSYCHOLOGIST: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: The psychologist says that the surge in poverty over the past five years, on top of the restrictions on women, have created a storm - a tsunami of mental health crises.
Dr. Najmussama Shefajo is also in the fight. She's the foremost OB-GYN in the country and runs a women's clinic in Kabul. She sees firsthand what the cuts in humanitarian aid since the return of the Taliban have meant for Afghan women.
NAJMUSSAMA SHEFAJO: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: Dr. Shefajo says suspension of aid means many clinics focused on women and maternal healthcare shut down, creating an acute shortage in services and medication. Maternal mortality rates, which were already high, are now rising, she says. Shutting down the nursing schools hasn't helped. Here, Dr. Shefajo came up with a solution.
SHEFAJO: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: Her clinic takes midwifery students who are unable to finish their studies, hires them and gives them on-the-job training, which is still permissible. Girls and women are learning things any way they can, including online, where marketable skills like making traditional jewelry can be learned.
SHEFAJO: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: The making and selling of clothes and jewelry by women is approved of by the Taliban. And there are woman-run businesses teaching those skills. I spoke to a 46-year-old woman who asked that NPR not name her because she runs a business and doesn't want to be targeted by the Taliban. She sold textiles and craftwork before the return of the Taliban and still does. She also took courses with Ascend to help her improve her business. She now also teaches girls how to sew, embroider and goldsmith.
UNIDENTIFIED BUSINESS OWNER: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: She says that for now, businesses like hers are permitted, and that Afghanistan's two biggest challenges are the economy and girls' education. She has two daughters, ages 13 and 22, who are shut out of any formal schooling.
UNIDENTIFIED BUSINESS OWNER: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: "If the schools and universities were open to them, my daughters could graduate from high school and university," she says. "And that's every mother's wish - to see her children succeed."
D. Parvaz, NPR News.
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