“For women, especially from the society I come from, the fight for human rights starts with existing as women. In the past 3 years, since the Taliban’s takeover, #AfghanWomen have been the frontlines of resistance, boldly standing against systemic injustices and human rights violations. Yet, we are the ones who face the harshest criticism.”
--Nazila Jamshidi
--Nazila Jamshidi
Where We've Been...
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Where We're Going...
Imagine What's Possible When Displaced Women Have SkillsMore than 3.2 million Afghans have been displaced internally (IDPs). Women and children are the largest percentage of IDPs. All of the challenges of displacement are complicated by a government and society that largely ignores and erases women. Girls are stopped from further education after the 3rd grade. Women must now hide in the shadows with no opportunities to share in public life. Imagine what's possible with education.
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Where is the Relief for Women Displaced
Where is the Relief for Women Displaced
By Jiddo In the shadows of a faraway place, Where voices are muted and no one hears, Women toil and work and seek a day’s grace From the burdens that bring bitter, bitter tears. Where is the relief for women displaced By war and violence and poverty unending? Where is the hope in a life erased -- Brutalized and maimed and darkly descending? Out of the chaos comes a hero’s heart. Women of courage, women unbroken -- Those who will never concede to the dark. Each new day brings a shimmer of hope unspoken. Those of us who sit on a hill and see faintly from a distance, May comfort ourselves by speaking of their honorable war. Let us write of their conquering spirit, we say, of their persistence. Our words and their deeds mock us, though, if we choose to do no more. The moral imperative to do good in the world is most incumbent on those of us who have been given vast resources, rich opportunities, social nets, and influence in the world. That imperative shouldn’t come as a guilt-ridden burden, but as an opportunity to make the world a better place. A better world has intrinsic self-interested value. As we facilitate a world that is stable and secure, we are safer, more economically secure, and less likely to send our military men and women into harm’s way. While a mass outbreak of peace may be a utopian dream, there are certainly ways in which we can make small corners of the world better places for the masses of disadvantaged people who suffer. Internally displaced people (IDPs) — those forced to move to other areas within their country because of war, violence, natural disasters, and poverty — are the most vulnerable. The governments in countries with high numbers of IDPs are inherently weak and unable to adequately care for even those who are not displaced. IDPs live at the bottom of the social hierarchy in encampments on the outskirts of towns, where they are looked down upon and viewed with suspicion by their settled neighbors. They often speak strange dialects and bring with them unfamiliar customs. They make up the sizable majority of those classified as displaced, far outnumbering refugees, those we see on the news who have made it to other countries. Because they aren’t seen in our media, they live in the shadows, unnoticed and ignored. (continued) 
Our farm provides fresh milk, eggs, and honey to our kindergarten kids and to many in the larger displaced population.
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More than 3.2 million Afghans have been displaced internally. Women and children are the largest percentage of the IDPs. All of the challenges of displacement are complicated by a government and society that largely ignores and erases women. Girls are stopped from further education after the 3rd grade. Women must now hide in the shadows with no opportunities to share in public life. “For women, especially from the society I come from, the fight for human rights starts with existing as women. In the past 3 years, since the Taliban’s takeover, #AfghanWomen have been the frontlines of resistance, boldly standing against systemic injustices and human rights violations. Yet, we are the ones who face the harshest criticism.” --Nazila Jamshidi Research confirms that investing in women is the best path to greater economic growth and development for their communities and their families. When women have skills, they work a magic that ripples out for generations. Investing in women is not just a matter of social justice but is a strategic imperative for fast-tracking progress and economic growth within the countries with the overwhelming need for increased economic capacity. What of displaced widows, divorcees, the abandoned, and the unmarried — women for whom there are no economic accommodations? Displaced women in these circumstances are the most vulnerable; they are left to the inadequate and insufficient charity of the few. What if these and other highly capable and intelligent displaced women could become producers and contributors to the economy through gaining marketable skills? What better investment could there be — women who know how to survive who are given new skills that meet market demands and who then become consumers of other products? This is sustainable growth at its very best. In a world with such enormous inequities and herculean social challenges, the words of Mahatma Gandhi may guide us. “Whatever you do will not be enough, but it matters enormously that you do it.” Being overwhelmed by the immensity of problems must not immobilize us. We are morally obligated to do what we can with what we have. A well-lived life is dependent on how we take care of each other, even those who live on the other side of the world. Our common humanity demands this of all of us. A bird trapped in the cage
The cage hanging in the house House is on a street The street is in the world What a big prison, I breathe! --Somaia Ramish, Afghan Poet and Activist You can purchase Somaia's book of poems,"Woman Life Freedom at https://a.co/d/16eagPQ. Displaced families received food for Ramadan 2025.
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