Shabana Basij-Rasik, who, despite the Taliban’s oppressive rule in Afghanistan, disguised herself as a boy to attend secret schools with her sister. She, her family, fellow students and teachers faced constant and severe risks as girls were banned from going to school, and women were prohibited from working outside the home.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Shabana seized the chance to study freely in her home country and then the United States. Feeling the significance of her privileged situation and the responsibility that came with it, during her freshman year, she co-founded the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), an all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan.
In 2021, violence escalated, and the Taliban quickly regained power. Shabana led an evacuation of 250 girls and faculty to Rwanda, where they resumed operations and continued to educate Afghan girls from around the world. Shabana’s story exemplifies the transformative power of education and the resilience of the human spirit.
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