By Kobra Nader
Negah Sharifi was a grade 10 student in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, who wanted to be a doctor before the Taliban regained power. For her, the ban on teenage girls’ education meant the destruction of her hopes and aspirations.
For 17-year-old Negah, it was the isolation and loneliness of being confined at home due to the Taliban’s anti-female edicts that took a real toll on her soul and spirit.
“I think my future has been ruined with the closure of our schools. I saw everyone else going to school,” she tells Zan Times in a phone interview.
After a few months of staying at home, Negah learned about a cafe where girls her age gathered once a week to talk about the novels they had just read. She says that going to the cafe has given her peace of mind and reignited her hopes.
This cafe has been initiated by a volunteer-run education centre geared toward youth education named Centre for Hope in Taloqan. The centre also provides psychological counseling to youth.
One of the founders of Centre for Hope is Khosrow Jahish, a former professor of economics at a private university in Takhar. Although it was established in May 2021, its activity ramped up after the Taliban took over.
In a phone conversation with Zan Times, Jahish explains the reason for establishing the centre: “When the Taliban came back to power, many people became hopeless. Seeing the despair among the youth, we created a place that strives to give hope to youth, paying the cost from our own pockets.”
Even though most of the centre’s activities are carried out by 10 male and female volunteers, Janish still contributes 15,000 to 20,000 afghanis a month to support its activities.
In the last year, the centre organized several novel-reading clubs, a writing course, and a website design course. It is also planning to soon launch free classes for girls in grades 7 to 12.
According to Jahish, more than 250 women and 300 men participated in the programs of this center and benefited from its services in the last year. The centre also provides free access to the internet as well as computer access to clients.
Also, Centre for Hope offers psychological counselling services, which particularly focus on women’s mental health issues, and operates under the supervision of a psychologist in Taloqan and two other psychologists who live outside the country.
Tawab Azar Hasanfar, a volunteer psychologist who works at the Centre for Hope, says that people’s mental and emotional health deteriorated after the Taliban regained power. “When the conditions are very bad, the smallest activity can be very useful, so we try to utilize and mobilize all we can,” he explains to Zan Times.
Diana Danishwar, a volunteer at the centre, sees the toll that the last year has had on people, saying, “Therefore, we felt the urge to do something also for education and the mental health of women and girls.” These educational opportunities help give people hope for the future,” explains Danishwar, who has taken writing and web design courses. “Now, we can write the stories of our lives and record them in history,” she adds.
The founders are happy about the positive impact and reception of their activities. Jahish says, “Initially, when we started the centre, I didn’t think it would be so positive, but now I am pleased that we have changed many lives for the better by igniting hope in them.”
