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Pashtana Durrani

Pashtana Durrani (born 1997) is an Afghan human rights activist focused on girls' and women's access to education. [1][2]

Early life

Durrani's family fled Afghanistan in the late 1990s due to the country's civil war and the presence of the Taliban.[2] Durrani was born in a refugee camp near Quetta, Pakistan.[2][3] Her family valued education; their motto was "You can go hungry, but not without a day of learning”.[4] In their Pakistani refugee camp, her parents ran a girls' school out of their home starting in 2001, and her aunts convinced reluctant families to educate their daughters.[4] In 2016, Durrani moved back to Kandahar, Afghanistan with her family.[4]

Activism

In 2018, Durrani founded LEARN Afghanistan, an NGO which focuses on providing education to Afghan children and women.[2][4] At the time of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the organization was running 18 digital schools in southern Afghanistan.[2] Following the fall of Kabul in August 2021, Durrani went into hiding.[4] LEARN Afghanistan resumed operations, although covertly, within a month of the takeover.[4]

In 2021, Durrani was named as one of BBC's 100 Women. In 2022, she was a Young Activist Summit winner.[5] In 2023, Durrani was given a Global Citizen Prize for her work.[6] She has also been named a Global Education Champion by the Malala Fund.[6]

In 2022, Durrani published a memoir under the title Last to Eat, Last to Learn.[6][7]

Personal life

Durrani's father died when she was 21, forcing her to become the provider for her family.[6]

Durrani left Afghanistan in October 2021 following the Taliban takeover.[8] At the time, she had been studying political science at the American University of Afghanistan.[1] She has been working as a visiting fellow at Wellesley College since November 2021, and has been studying how to improve the distribution of humanitarian aid and mitigate financial corruption.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Idaszak, Josh (Spring 2022). "In Exile, but Undaunted". Wellesley Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Pashtana's Diary". LEARN. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. ^ "My Organization Empowers Girls Through Education — By Running Underground Schools in Afghanistan". Global Citizen. 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kumar, Ruchi (2023-03-09). "The Afghan woman running covert schools under the Taliban's nose". The National. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  5. ^ "2022 Summit". Young Activists Summit. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ a b c d "This Afghan Activist Is Fighting for Girls' Education Despite Living in Exile". Global Citizen. 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. ^ "LAST TO EAT, LAST TO LEARN". Kirkus Reviews. March 3, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Abé, Nicola (2022-03-28). "Afghanistan und Bildung: »Es ist unwürdig, dass diese Mädchen weinen müssen, damit die Welt hinsieht«". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
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