‘It gave me hope in a world of darkness’: Afghan women defy Taliban by attending ‘underground’ university

On 15 August 2021, Sara* was teaching an English lesson at an all-girls’ school in Kabul, Afghanistan. She thought it would be a normal day spent doing the job she loved, but before she knew it, her “entire life had changed forever”.

In the middle of the class, 10 armed men suddenly stormed the room - ordering her to “go home”. Sara tried to ask what was happening, but they refused to answer her. She had no choice; she had to leave.

“I immediately had this feeling of doom,” Sara told NationalWorld. “But I had no idea just how dark things would get.” Later that evening, while watching the news, she discovered that former President Ashraf Ghani had fled Afghanistan - and the Taliban had taken control of her country ... her home.

“It felt like everything came to an end,” the 26-year-old continued. “My hopes, my career, my aim of getting my master’s degree. All the dreams I had died on that day.”

Over the following two years, things only got worse. The Taliban have excluded Afghan women and girls from all aspects of public life - banning them from parks, gyms, funfairs, secondary schools, universities, and more. Women must wear the burqa at all times, and they cannot leave the house without a male escort or chaperone.

Amelia* told NationalWorld that when the Taliban first took Kabul, it was “chaos”. She explained: “No one knew what to do, what to say. Everyone was trying to flee. It was impossible for me, though. I’m not even allowed to leave the house by myself - there’s no way I could leave the country.

“And then the rules and restrictions just kept coming. I used to love studying, I used to love going to the gym. Suddenly, I could no longer do either. I used to love bright colours; now, I have to wear an all-black burqa. They even closed beauty salons, it’s ridiculous! We have no choice, we have no freedom.”

The 26-year-old, who used to work both as a journalist and global peace ambassador, added that one of the most difficult things about the current situation is not knowing what will happen next.

“We don’t know what the next law will be for women and girls,” she said. “It’s this constant state of stress and anxiety. That is what this regime has done to us - because we don’t know our future.”

‘In a world of darkness, it gave me hope’

However, both Sara and Amelia have found something that has made their futures seem brighter in the University of the People. The American, non-profit, accredited institution allows students to study online, from anywhere at anytime, with the aim of “allowing people who can’t study elsewhere due to financial, political, geographical, or personal reasons the ability to continue their education.”

The university, which offers courses in business, education, health, and computer science, currently has more than 126,000 students from 200 countries around the world. 16,500 of these are refugees, which is enabled by the “asynchronous” course structures - meaning pupils can login to classes, lectures, and assessments from anywhere at anytime. They only need a basic internet connection.

UoPeople President Shai Reshef told NationalWorld: “Since the Taliban banned women from universities, studying online is their only option. We want to help them continue their education by allowing them to attend UoPeople behind closed doors. They can study ‘underground’ within the safety of their own homes, and no one has to know what they are doing.”

He added that UoPeople also allows its students to use “safe” names to stop people uncovering their defiance of the Taliban. “Jane from California could be a woman from Afghanistan. We know because we have their student ID, but no other classmates have to know if they want to remain secret,” he explained.

NationalWorld has used the names Sara and Amelia as pseudonyms for these two female students in order to protect their identity and safety.

Despite the “severe” repercussions that would follow if the Taliban were to discover what they were doing, more than 21,000 women from Afghanistan have applied to study at UoPeople since Kabul fell two years ago. Currently, the institution has handed out 2,500 scholarships to Afghan women and is active

“It breaks my heart we cannot help more people,” Mr Reshef told NationalWorld. “Every week I get emails from students thanking us for saving their lives - but at the same time I get emails from people asking me to help them flee their country - I don’t have the power to do that.

“So sometimes it’s great to feel you are helping, and sometimes you’re reminded that you can’t always help. But what we can try to do is fund the studies of as many Afghan women as possible. So we will continue fundraising until we can help everyone.”

Sara is one of the women who was granted a scholarship. “When I first heard about UoPeople, I was gutted because I knew I wanted to do it - but I also knew I couldn’t afford it," she said. "But they offered to fund my studies, and suddenly, I felt like I could do something with my life again.

“In a world of darkness and hopelessness of a country led by the Taliban, the UoPeople gave me hope. They brightened my heart and my future.”

Sara is studying for a master’s degree after achieving her bachelor’s in English before the Taliban took Afghanistan, while Amelia, who previously graduated with a master’s in International Relations at a university in Kabul, is pursuing a doctorate.

“I love studying. I want to learn, progress in my life, and have new experiences,” Amelia said. “UoPeople has allowed me to do that and to meet different people from different countries.”

Both women are aware of the risks. “Afghanistan is now a country with no regulation,” Sara explained. “I could disappear from my home, and nobody would be able to ask why.”

But it is worth it to them. “My soul was dying before, but now I have something to live for again,” Sara continued. “People ask me what Afghan women and girls need. We need what everyone needs. The right to an education, the right to work, the right to opportunities, the right to live. We want to feel we can achieve our dreams, we can follow our wishes.”

Amelia also feels studying at UoPeople has given her hope - and she also hopes that one day she can see Afghan women and girls have “rights, choices, and freedom” once again. However, she admitted that she is still “not too optimistic” about the future of Afghanistan, “because it feels like there is nowhere we can get help from.”

She continued: “The international community have made a lot of statements against the Taliban. But it’s words, not actions. Countries are still giving Afghanistan money and weapons, they’re trying to make sure they don’t ruin their relationships. But we don’t need to hear how sorry everyone is. We need help. Maybe then we can dream of our futures again.”