That belief became my foundation. I know what it means to grow up on the margins of access. So when I hear Afghan girls being told their future is a lost cause, I cannot stay silent. I speak not as a distant observer, but as a daughter of this region and a sister who understands what it means to fight for the chance to learn.
Since the Taliban’ s return to power in 2021, the space for Afghan women has been shrinking physically, socially, and economically. In 2024, Afghanistan had 76 % disparity between men and women in health, education, and financial inclusion. On average, Afghan women achieve only 23.7 % of what Afghan men do 1. In the last four years, 1.5 million Afghan girls have lost access to education. If nothing changes, over 4 million will be out of school by 2030 2.
For many, education up to grade six is not a limit but a lifeline.
The barriers also fuel economic marginalization. In rural areas, only 9 % of women report earning income. In cities, that figure is 17 %, still far behind their male counterparts. In 2024, only 24.2 % of women were in the workforce compared to 88.9 % of men 3. Moreover, new“ virtue” laws ban women from traveling without a male guardian, mandate full face coverings, and prohibit them even from speaking in public 4, essentially creating a culture of gender apartheid.
Despite this erasure, Afghan girls continue to show up: still learning, still teaching, still dreaming. And CAI is walking beside them every step of the way. As of mid-2025, CAI supports 171 community-based education( CBE) classes across multiple provinces, reaching over 5,000 students, many of whom have no other access to school. More than 280 trained female teachers are leading these classes in homes, mosques, and communal village spaces, bringing learning directly into the communities. Beyond primary education, over 170 Afghan women have received economic empowerment training in skills like mushroom cultivation, dairy farming, and jam-making, pathways that will allow them to earn income and thereby contribute financially to their households.
Until recently, school was a place that only 12-year-old Nazanin’ s brothers knew because the closest government facility was far away and the terrain was too harsh for young children to travel on foot.“ For little girls like me, it was impossible to walk to school,” she shared. Now, thanks to the opening of a CAI-sponsored communitybased classroom in her village, which she attends regularly, she dreams of one day becoming a lawyer.“ With school opening, my hope is coming true,” she told her teacher one morning.
Then there is Nasima, who dropped out of school when she began losing her eyesight. She cried, not due to her condition, but because she was missing out on the opportunity to learn. One year later, she’ s back in class, thanks to CAI support.“ The community school has given me another chance,” she said.
4 | 2025-2026 JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE