Education Means Freedom

Afghan Educator, Shabana Basij-Rasikh

Last Friday, I attended a talk delivered by the woman above. Her name is Shabana Basij-Rasikh and she is an Afghan educator, humanitarian and women’s rights advocate. In 2009, she founded HELA, to “empower Afghan women through education.” She also co-founded a the School of Leadership in Afghanistan, to educate girls. Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, she and her school were forced to evacuate in 2021. The school is now is located in Ruwanda.

The woman who introduced her, Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of the Omega Institute (where this talk was held and where I was an invited guest), said that there would be no filming. She asked that we not take photos and post on social media so that Ms. Basij-Rasikh could speak freely. I decided I had to draw her on my phone to honor her.

It was a moving and powerful talk about the opression of women and girls in Afghanistan. She told us about how brave the girls are, so committed to being educated that they are willing to travel and be without their families for long periods. The SOL is planning to expand and have satellite programs for girls in refugee camps. This is from their website:

In Afghanistan in 2021, the number of girls attending secondary school was 1.1 million. In Afghanistan in 2023, the number of girls attending secondary school is 0.

Ms. Basij-Rasikh told us that the Taliban knows the power of educating girls, and that is why they prohibit it.

Education allows young people—boys and girls—to soar and change the world.