Wida
From 1996 to 2001, Wida was a student in her mother’s secret school in Kabul during the first Taliban regime, as she and her sister were not permitted to attend school because they were girls. Her mother was repeatedly beaten by the Taliban for the crime of teaching women and girls, and her father was imprisoned.Below, Wida shares her story.
“After NATO and American forces arrived in Afghanistan, other schools for Afghan girls were established, and I was able to attend school and study to become a psychologist and sociologist.
Upon completing my education, I worked for many years in various positions with the Afghan government, which was backed by the U.S. government. This enabled me to defend the values of democracy, equal rights, women’s rights, and other important ideals. I was most recently a Senior Public Relations and Media Advisor to the Ministry of Justice until the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
Women in Afghanistan have had no access to the government for many generations, so there have been no avenues for them to report crimes committed against themselves, demand rights equal to those of their husbands and fathers, or protect their property rights, among other things. It was my responsibility to identify the issues that women were facing and to implement systemic changes that would allow them to engage with their government. I collaborated with the court system, the Department of Justice, the legislature, and the media to develop and publicize these programs.
Prior to that, I was the Director of International Monetary Fund programs in Afghanistan at the President’s Administrative Office, overseeing all IMF programs in Afghanistan. During my service for my country, the Taliban attempted to kill me three times, but they made a huge mistake: Since they couldn’t kill me, they killed my fear.
I never imagined that one day I would be forced to emigrate from my country and my home. On August 15th, my phone rang, and it was my mother asking me to come home as soon as possible, saying that the Taliban had taken over Kabul and that the city had been in chaos. Our office’s security guards arrived shortly after that phone call and asked us to leave as soon as possible. We left the office without retrieving our belongings.
As our vehicle approached the northern outskirts of Kabul, I saw the Taliban enter the city with fully armed tanks. Seeing their terrifying faces traumatized and shocked me. I was told to completely cover my face with my scarf so they wouldn’t recognize me. For safety, we turned off our phones and avoided all interactions with strangers. My family and I were in hiding.
On August 24, we received a phone call from our American friends instructing us to go to the Kabul Airport. I took a taxi to the airport and covered my face completely so they wouldn’t know who I was. I can’t talk about the airport incident because I still have flashbacks and nightmares about it. Military planes transported us to Doha, Qatar. We didn’t eat or drink for more than 42 hours.
Then we were taken to an army camp that resembled a massive warehouse and housed approximately 5,000 evacuees. After nearly four nights, it was our turn to fly to Dulles Airport and Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. To be resettled, we had to stay at the military base for five months.
I was concerned about my family’s legal status. We didn’t have enough money to hire an attorney, so we asked friends. Finally, a friend introduced us to Michelle Swearingen at RILA, who aided us and gave us hope in the face of the prospect of being sent back to war. RILA assisted us so that we can have hope for a future in the United States.
Today, RILA assists us and provides us with the opportunity assist others. I don’t want our stories to fade and the world to forget Afghan Allies and the Afghan Nation in general as time passes. Afghan evacuees face new challenges and obstacles daily. I urge the United States and its government to recognize its allies and the sacrifices they have made by risking their lives to serve U.S. troops.”