1638 Days, Girls Without Education in Afghanistan - By: Sahar Azimi

n 2021, the Taliban returned to power

In Afghanistan.

School doors closed for girls

Above grade 6.

Dreams frozen.

Afghan girls told to step away,

That shaped their way.

I was just a 12-year-old girl.

I was just in Grade 8.

Not my Dreams,

but

Millions of dreams and futures stolen,

From girls in Afghanistan.

I fled to Pakistan with my family,

after 6 months living under the rule of the Taliban,

Not because my homeland was

A good place for living,

It’s because girls' and women’s rights are forbidden to them.

In 2022, Universities closed in Afghanistan.

Books were closed, the future pushed.

Gris’s rights were denied without a cause.

I was just watching my country,

And

Girls are losing their rights even more,

But

unable to support Afghan girls.

In 2023, the silence stayed,

Hearing more hopes faded,

More plans delayed,

Pens untouched,

And

Girls were still waiting to go to school.

In 2024, the waiting grew,

3 years passed,

Yet, nothing changed in Afghanistan.

BUT a lot of things changed in MY life.

I came to Canada,

I started school here,

I had more opportunities here.

Compared to Afghanistan.

In 2025, still, the same in Afghanistan.

Girls remain out of school,

Dreams continue, but not in school.

I thought,

It is time to speak up for Afghan girls.

It is time to advocate for AFGHAN GIRLS.

Because the injustice continued AGAINST GIRLS

In Afghanistan.

I started my YouTube Channel,

I decided to use social media,

Not as a tool,

but

As a POWER

To

ADVOCATE for Afghan girls in AFGHANISTAN.

I believed

That

My voice is going to make a difference.

In 2026, another year,

Filled with fear,

1638 DAYS passed in AFGHANISTAN.

But, girls are still out of school above grade 6.

I know Afghan girls can't go to school

but,

I promise that I will use my voice to

Advocate,

Speak,

Raise awareness,

CALL FOR ACTION,

In support of Afghan girls’ education.

1638 days without education in AFGHANISTAN,

MILLIONS of girls are waiting for their right to education,

IT IS MY MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

Listen to this call closely, WORLD,

To this call!

NO Afghan girl should be denied her right to education.

READING and WRITING are not a privilege,

It is a RIGHT.

Let school doors reopen again in AFGHANISTAN,

Let Afghan Girls have their Black and White uniform again.

Listen to this call, world, to this call,

Stand with Afghan girls, let justice start,

Give Afghan girls their right and their voice.

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

This poem is not just something I wrote—it is my story, and it is the story of my country, Afghanistan. It comes from my own experience and from the pain I have seen and felt since 2021, when Kabul fell and the Taliban returned to power.

The main idea of my poem is to show what it means to lose something as important as education. For me, school was not just a place to study—it was my future, my hope, and my dream. When girls were no longer allowed to continue their education, it felt like our futures were taken away from us.

In my poem, I talk about the number of days, 1,638 days, because I want people to understand that this is not a short moment. It has been years of waiting, years of silence, and years of being left behind. Every day matters, and every day without education is another day of loss.

I also share my story as a 12-year-old girl who faced these restrictions. But my story is not only about me. When I think about the 2.2 million girls who are still not allowed to go to school, the pain becomes even deeper. It is not just my pain it is our pain.

The feeling I describe in my poem, the pain in my chest that burns, shows how heavy this experience is. It is the kind of pain that does not go away, because it comes from seeing injustice and knowing that so many girls are still suffering.

Through this poem, I want to speak for myself, for my country, and for every Afghan girl who has been silenced. I want the world to understand that we are still here, we still have dreams, and we are still waiting for our right to learn.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

When I wrote this poem, I was thinking about my life and the reality of girls in my country, Afghanistan. My words come from real experiences and deep emotions.

I wrote it to express the pain of losing education after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. As a young girl, I wanted to learn but faced restrictions, and that feeling stayed with me.

I included 1,638 days to show how long girls have been waiting. This is not temporary—it has lasted for years.

I was also thinking about the 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan who are still denied education. The pain I describe comes from both my own story and theirs.

This poem is my voice. It shows that education is not just learning—it is a right, a dream, and a future. Through it, I want the world to understand what we are going through.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

I chose this poem because it is personal to me. It is not just a poem—it is my story and the story of my country, Afghanistan.

I chose to write about this topic because education was taken away from girls, including me, after 2021. This is something I have experienced, and it has deeply affected my life. Writing this poem helped me express those feelings.

I also chose this poem because I wanted to speak for the 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan who are still denied education. Many of them cannot share their stories, so I wanted to use my voice to represent them.

This poem matters to me because it carries truth, pain, and hope. It is my way of helping others understand what we are going through and why education is so important.