Here in Afghanistan, and especially after the Taliban takeover, many women are in extremely desperate situations, sometimes life and death. Still others are fighting for agency and rights.
Yet they fight.
We support as many of these women and their families as we can. Hundreds are under our care. We invite you to read below the stories of 10 women under The Khadijah Project. We support their home, sustenance, medical needs, education (through university), mental health, employment-search/reintegration support.
They are incredibly brave to tell their stories.
Currently, we pay no foreign staff. Our team running the work are Afghan women themselves, and mostly women who were initially supported by this project. They now support themselves and their families. We are called The Khadijah Project after the first Muslim woman - Khadijah, wife of the prophet, a businesswoman and a leader. From Islam's inception, Muslim women have led, taken care of each other and others, and contributed to society. We intend to keep doing so.
We are a new initiative, responding to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, which saw most safety and wellbeing networks disrupted, and more people needing support than ever. Soon, we will ask you to commit $100/month to get us through the next year, to make our work sustainable.
Right now, we need to meet this 100k goal to get through the next few months. Please donate here, or if you prefer, make a U.S. tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor and partner, The Justness Project. Please contact pali@justnessproject.com or the.khadijah.project@gmail.com for any questions, and do allow for response time! We are understaffed, and your engagement means so much to us. And please follow us on instagram, @TheKhadijahProject. Thank you for your solidarity.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS*
My name is Marjan, and I'm from the north of Afghanistan. I am 26. A few months ago, unknown perpetrators murdered my parents one night in our village - they came to kill my father first, and when my mother screamed, they killed her too. Our mother was a great encourager of girls education and our father was a village elder who educated his own daughters and promoted education and participation for all, including women. We think this is why they were killed. I thought whoever killed them, whether they were Taliban or even family, would come after us. I also could not agree to my aunt's plan to marry off my 17-yr old sister to help the family. With my younger brother and sister, we fled. I tried to get a job with an extended family member, but he asked me for something in return that I would not give. This happened a second time, with someone else. I did not have time to deal with this trauma. My siblings and I had nowhere to turn. Since then, the responsibility of looking after my siblings is on my shoulders, and I am doing my best to support them. My now 18-yr old sister missed the last three months of her education, because secondary schools were shut. My brother's pharmacy schooling was interrupted. I want my younger siblings to have a real life. And all I want, for myself, is to breathe freely again.
My name is N. I am 19-years old and I dream of
becoming a lawyer. I practice my arguments in the mirror - and I win
every time. My father was a general and my brother ran logistics in
Maidan Wardak province in the previous government, and this caused
enormous problems even before the Taliban took over the country. To
make peace with them, my family tried to marry me off to the Taliban.
I refused and they subjected me to physical torture. First I tried to
kill myself. Continually, I tried to convince them not to marry me to
a Talib. I didn't succeed. They wanted to sacrifice me, but I couldn't
accept this. I am a human being too. I met someone who I learned could
connect me to safety, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, on the day
they engaged me, my mom helped me escape. I am now alone but safe. And
I am working to help other women and families who are in great need. I
want to continue to fight for human rights and show the world that I,
as a woman, was able to succeed on my own. You can hear more of my
store here, on the NY Time's The
Daily podcast. It was hard for me to tell my story, but the
world needs to hear.
Hello, I am Parwana. I have been married for 12 years and I have four children. I have three daughters and a son. My husband is addicted to opium, and he is abusive. My life is very hard and difficult. He wanted to take my eldest daughter several times and sell her because of his addiction, and now he has been in the addicts' camp for some time. I had no choice but to flee from there with my own children. Most days, I think there is no future for me. But still, I am trying to build my future and my children's life. Still, I have hope.
Amina Eslami
My name is Amina Eslami and I am a radio reporter from Takhar province. After the collapse of the Afghan republic, the Taliban threatened my husband and I because of our work. They even took my brother away and mistreated him because of me. They wanted to use him as an example, that if someone goes against the Taliban’s wishes, they will face the same fate. Both my husband and I fled to another city to hide, and to start again. Our destiny is very unclear, and so is that of our children. This current Afghanistan is a dark and unwelcoming place for women and children, and I just wish one day it will change.
I am Hawa Hekma. I have been working as a human rights reporter since 2016, and my work has always been for women. I have always tried to raise a hundred silent and oppressed women in my country, and I have tried to make the majority of women stand up to defend their rights, especially in provinces such as Khost, Logar, Paktia and remote districts of Kabul. I can no longer do this kind of work without great risk to myself. Still - I do what I can.
Shakebah Zazai, ANA (Afghan National Army) Officer
I was a human rights director, in 213th Zafar Mazar Corps. On 08/03/2021, it was a woman's day. I was invited to a March 8 party. My son-in-law was a bridleman and he was my driver. They killed him on that day. They want to kill my two sons and have me and want to take my daughter with them. I do not have a husband, I am their only parent. After Taliban took over, a person called me and told me they have a plan to destroy us. My family and I fled our home. I am trying to keep my family safe, and trying to make a future for me and my family.
I am Sahar Ahmadi.
Film student and actor at Kabul University. I continue to be a civil activist in the community for children and women. I was arrested and tortured by Taliban on 11/10/2021 when I went to the prison to find my friend. She had been arrested because they thought she "wasn't a good girl." They had arrested other young women too. We got electric shocks, insulting lashes, death threats, thrown in cold and dark rooms without our family knowing where we are. It took our families more than 48 hours to find out we had been imprisoned by the Taliban. We spent 21 days in prison with torture and torture by the Taliban, in Herat, Afghanistan. As soon as I got out, I left that city and am trying to reach to the future and dream that I love to be.
Arya
Hello I am Arya Hamdard, who is 23 years old. I was married without my choice, when I was 17. My mother had remarried and my stepfather wanted to quickly get rid of me. I do not have a good past and did not study. I was behind school and an orphan - in Afghanistan that means no father. My husband was a member of the National Security Forces, and also worked with ISAF. He he was arrested by the Taliban in August, and disappeared. I and my children were left alone, and then I was abused by my in-laws. They start oppressing even on my children, they locked us in a room and not giving food for me and my children. And I could not see my children sleeping hungry for several nights. So I left the home. Now I am supported by a team that helps women and other people who need. I thank and hope for a better future for my children to study and stand on their own. And want them to see love and not be forced to marry like their mother in underage. And to show the society where women are considered weak that a woman can be strong and complete in any situation.
* names have been changed
