Sometimes I think that perhaps the heaviest thing an Afghan migrant carries is not a passport, a visa or even the suitcase brought from home. The heaviest burden is being Afghan.

I too was deprived of education in Kunduz during the first period of Taliban rule.

Though standing again in the depths of darkness was deeply anxiety-inducing for Raihan, her books once more became her refuge. She decided not to care about what people said, because people always judge based on their own minds and perspectives. What truly matters is the voice of our own heart.

After the government announced that women and girls must stay at home, banning them from school, university, and work, Raihan and her friends suffered a severe psychological blow. They were mentally and emotionally shattered. They had never imagined such a day would come. Dreams that remained only dreams, and hands that never reached them.