My Advocacy Journey:
Carrying the Dreams of Afghan Girls
Muzhda Akbari | January 21, 2025
It has been over three years since girls above grade six were banned from attending school in Afghanistan. As of today, nearly three million school-aged girls are out of school in Afghanistan, making it the only country in the world where girls are systematically denied access to education. This statistic isn’t just a number; it’s a generation of dreams deferred and futures stolen.
Every time I think of Afghanistan, I imagine little girls sitting at home, asking their parents, siblings, and elders the inevitable question: “Why can’t I go to school?” And the heartbreaking response is always the same: “Because you are a girl.” That simple, devastating answer is a profound injustice. How humiliating it must feel to know that your gender alone determines whether you can learn, dream, or pursue the future you deserve.
My journey began in that world of questioning, uncertainty, and loss. When the Taliban took power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, my family and I fled to Pakistan, seeking safety as refugees. But even there, the doors to education were closed. I found myself unable to attend school, just like so many others. But giving up was never an option. I had to learn.
Determined not to let my dreams be stolen too, I turned to technology, using whatever resources I could find to learn new skills.. The spark of learning that I found in those quiet moments grew into something far more powerful than I ever imagined. I realized that if I could learn, other girls could too. And so, I created CodeGreenAfg, an online platform to teach my skills to Afghan girls who, like me, were denied the chance to go to school. What started as a small initiative to offer education quickly grew into something bigger, a beacon of hope and advocacy for Afghan girls, both near and far.
But this was only the beginning. When I moved to Canada with my family, I was finally able to step into a classroom again, to be part of the world I had always imagined. Yet, as I sat in my chair, surrounded by classmates who had the freedom to learn, I couldn’t stop thinking about the girls in Afghanistan, who were still locked out of their right to education. I could no longer remain silent. I had to take action.
That’s when CodeGreenAfg evolved into a larger movement, one that not only provides education but advocates fiercely for Afghan girls’ right to go to school. In 2024 alone, we organized three major events, established a library, distributed almost 200 books, launched an advocacy campaign, and even published an advocacy toolkit. We took our message to the global stage, raising awareness with influential platforms such as the United Nations, UNICEF Canada, CTV News, and the Parliament of Canada which was tr. Through these efforts, we’ve worked to ensure that the voices of Afghan girls echo beyond the borders of their country, calling out for justice, freedom, and opportunity.
But this fight is far from over. We cannot rest until every Afghan girl has the right to learn. The women of Afghanistan face the harshest realities, but their fight is not theirs alone. It is a fight for every girl, everywhere, who has ever been denied the opportunity to learn simply because of her gender. The cost of education is not just the textbooks and classrooms; it is the lives that remain stagnant, the futures that are stolen.
Until Afghan girls are free, no girl is free.
This journey, from losing my right to education as the Taliban came to power to the classrooms of Canada, has taught me one simple truth: Education is not a privilege; it is the most valuable human right. My experience has shown me what happens when that right is denied. It is a loss that extends far beyond one girl, one family, or one country. It is a loss for the world. We cannot afford to let this injustice continue.
To the youth of Canada and beyond, I say this: We have a responsibility. The fight for Afghan girls is not just their fight; it is our fight. We must be their voice, their advocates, and their allies. We must demand that they be allowed to learn, to grow, and to lead.
Every girl deserves the right to education. Every girl deserves the right to a future. The time to act is now. The world is watching, yet the Afghan girls are silenced. In this path, we must be the generation that rises to answer the call.
Muzhda Akbari
OCIC Youth Policy-Makers Hub Member and Founder of CodeGreenAfg
Muzhda (she/her) is a 19-year-old advocate for girls’ right to education. She is actively involved in the youth advocacy program of UNICEF Canada and serves as a young champion for refugees at UNHCR. As the founder of CodeGreenAfg, she provides educational resources and free classes to Afghan girls, particularly in STEM fields.
