Parween Dedarn is the only female teacher and headmaster at Kamp-e Farm Hada Girls ’ High School in Afghanistan ’ s conservative Nangarhar province .
A WOMAN ’ S PLACE
by Hannah White
There is a saying in Afghanistan , “ Women should stay home or in the grave .”
This sentiment is a remnant of the Taliban-era , when women could be whipped in public for baring their ankles , lose a finger for painting their nails , or be thrown down a flight of stairs for hosting an informal school in their homes .
Although the Taliban regime was officially toppled in 2001 , attitudes about a woman ’ s place in Afghan society remain controversial . More conservative communities are enclaves for the old way of thinking . Jalalabad , in Afghanistan ’ s eastern province of Nangarhar , is one of those places .
Home to more than 350,000 people in 2015 , the city ’ s population has tripled since 2006 and continues to grow as refugees from Pakistan return and displaced families flee surrounding villages . The influx of people has strained infrastructure , poverty is rampant , and women ’ s rights are under siege .
On the front line of this battle for equality , is Kamp-e Farm Hada Girls ’ High School . Its teachers and students fervently oppose the old ideology , and are actively working to replace the bigoted philosophy with a more egalitarian way of thinking .
At the forefront of this struggle is their fearless leader , Parween Dedarn .
LEADING THE CHARGE
The only female headmaster and teacher at the school , Parween is a visible symbol of the changing times . As a symbol and role model , she knows she has to swing big if she wants to make an impact .
“ If I could have one wish , it would be to educate the coming generation ,” says Parween .
“ I hope to see my students take a positive part in rebuilding our destroyed Afghanistan .”
At 51 years of age , Parween has seen regimes rise and fall , her country torn apart by war , and an entire generation of hopeful men and women have education ripped from their hands .
Parween ’ s own road is no easier than her country ’ s . She has risen above countless obstacles to serve her community and get where she is today . She was married at age 15 . Instead of staying home she finished school and graduated from college . For nearly two decades she has sacrificed her salary to get to and from school every day . Her meager earnings go toward gas or taxifare to travel the 35 minutes from her home to the school . She has also weathered constant threats and harassment from ignorant naysayers . Despite , and perhaps because of all this , Parween is more determined than ever to turn her country around . If Afghanistan hopes to save another generation from the fate of their parents , she says they must act now .
28 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE