Written by Lea Parvanta
This is for you: To the Afghan women and girls that take the risk to move to another country, foreign from your culture and beliefs to start a new zindagee, to you who find a way to leave abusive and violent homes, and to you who stand up for their daughters because they deserve better.
You are survivors, not victims. You are my heroines.
I sincerely admire you
For daring to be brave,
For wanting to study although it may not be easy,
For trying harder than the rest of us,
For wanting to make Afghanistan a better country for the next generation,
For wanting to give back to a country that has restricted you from so much,
For staying focused,
For laughing and being positive,
For supporting your other hamsheras,
For having an opinion and not being scared to tell the whole world,
For being persistent because you know education is everything,
For being a role model to your daughter, son, siblings, and to the girls around the world,
For raising feminist sons,
For wanting to be a blogger, director, doctor, teacher, scientist, everything and anything your heart desires,
For going back to school and starting over although you might be “too old”,
For not surrendering attack after attack,
For being a heroine,
For being bold,
For breaking the silence,
For standing up,
For sticking up to the patriarchal system,
For not bowing to abuse and sexual violence,
For simply not giving up.
You show me that dreams sometimes can come true.
And for that, I thank you.
*Hamshera is a colloquial Persian word for sister.
*Zindagee means life.
Feature image of author at young age.