A great opportunity to take stock of some truly inspirational women across the world. Here at Silver Assist Homecare we wanted to share the story of an amazing woman we have followed over the years and the truly remarkable impact she has made on the lives of so many.
We are incredibly fortunate to live in country where access to education is freely accessible to both men and women. The opportunity to develop skills, build on our knowledge and have the control to shape our own future is not a right given to all.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh is an Afghan educator, humanitarian and women’s right champion, she is also the founder of SOLA (School of Leadership Afghanistan). Shabana was just 6 years old when the Taliban seized power in 1966 and among other things, they removed access to education for all girls.
Secret schools began to open across Afghanistan in the living rooms of private homes. Shabana, along with her sister attended these schools and to maintain her safety, she cut her hair short and dressed like a boy to go unnoticed.
The fall of the Taliban in 2001 meant that girls could return to school and resume the education they dearly missed. Shabana later attended school in the US, and while completing her degree, she co-founded SOLA. The mission of SOLA is to provide quality education to girls in Afghanistan.
Sadly, with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban once again seized power. Shabana lead the incredibly risky evacuation of the teachers and pupils of SOLA from Afghanistan and settled them in Rwanda. It is the only Afghan school for girls in the entire world. Now that's girl power!
Despite the risk to her own life Shabana continues to make SOLA a place of hope and promise. You can find out more about SOLA and how to support them here: https://www.sola-afghanistan.org/videos
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