Raihana was the top student in her class, with a dream she held close: one day, she would open her own art gallery. Art was not simply a hobby; it was the future she was working toward, a way to turn imagination into possibility.
Then, in August 2021, girls’ schools across Afghanistan closed. Raihana’s education ended overnight. At only 14 years old, she was forced to flee her home. She lost more than school: she lost her childhood, her best friend, and the future she had pictured for herself.
For years, Raihana’s creativity had no safe place to grow. Yet her dream did not disappear. In 2025, Women for Afghan Women invited her to an art class. It became a place where she could create, heal, and begin to dream again.
Through drawing, Raihana rediscovered a part of herself she thought she had lost. Her art reflects both her talent and her inner world. One drawing shows a woman’s profile, her mind filled with shelves of books and a figure reaching upward—a moving image of knowledge, ambition, and possibility. Another carefully rendered still life transforms familiar objects into something quiet and beautiful.
Every sketch is an act of hope. Art allows Raihana to hold space for what she has lost while imagining what could still be possible. It reminds her that her voice, her ideas, and her future matter.
“Afghanistan is like a house without light,” Raihana says. “Its women are the light.” Her words speak to the strength and importance of Afghan women and girls, whose rights, education, and opportunities have been deeply restricted. They also carry a clear message: Afghanistan’s future cannot be whole without women and girls at its center.
Raihana’s story is one of resilience, but it is also a reminder of what safe, supportive spaces can make possible. When Afghan women and girls are given the opportunity to learn and create, their dreams can endure.
Today, Raihana is drawing again. With every pencil mark, she is reclaiming not only her art, but a future that is hers to shape. With your donations, we can ensure that she is able to continue to reclaim her life one sketch at a time.
Click here to donate today.
