Girls Among the Warp and Weft; A Future Closed Behind the Loom

Photo: World Vision

“These carpets are beautiful, but our future is in books” -Ainaz

In a corner of a small carpet-weaving workshop in the city of Herat, the sharp sound of tying knots on the loom has replaced the murmurs of classroom lessons. The fragile hands of girls who once eagerly turned the pages of books with hope and passion are now busy weaving carpets whose every knot tells a bitter story of their unfulfilled dreams.

After the ban on education for girls above the sixth grade, many girls in Herat, like in other provinces of the country, have been deprived of schooling. Yet, amid the wave of despair, some of them have chosen a different path: seeking refuge in carpet-weaving workshops, hoping it might be a remedy for their hidden emotional wounds.

Najia, a 14-year-old girl who until last year was a top student at one of the schools in Herat city, is now one of the weavers in this workshop.

She says:

“When the school was closed, I became depressed. Every day I was at home, aimless and hopeless. But here, among these threads and colors, I feel that I am still alive; that there is still something I can create.”

Many girls like Najia say that carpet weaving has not only become a small source of income for them but has also helped their mental well-being.

Somaya, another one of these girls, says:

“We fought for our future, we studied, we dreamed. But now with the schools and universities remaining closed, it feels as if everything has stopped. Here, being together, talking, and staying busy has helped us to suffer less from depression.”

Local psychologists also confirm that being deprived of education and having limited social space can have severe effects on the mental health of adolescents, especially girls. In this context, carpet weaving plays the role of an informal supportive tool which, although it cannot replace education, helps to prevent more serious harm to some extent.

However, these girls have a clear and united demand:

The reopening of schools and universities.

Ainaz, with a gaze filled with both pain and hope, says:

“We have the right to education. These carpets are beautiful, but our future is in books, not only in threads.”

These girls are calling on the authorities to pay attention to their needs and fundamental rights. They want their voices to be heard; not only behind the loom, but also in the halls of knowledge, science, and future-building.