A Glimpse into My World

This is my first English poem which means like this for me: we are the girls who have lost ourselves in the labyrinths of this era, unable to go back, and with no future in sight. Like a wave in the heart of a storm of oppression and injustice, we endure. The storm has darkened our lives, destroying the futures, goals, and dreams of so many. But each one of us Afghan girls is a water lily. Although we live amidst problems, challenges, oppression, injustice, and inequality, we remain pure and radiant. Although with the arrival of so much hardship and misery, we have died each time, with the appearance of the smallest opening–even a speck of light–we find motivation again and are reborn with new hope and energy…

This drawing is me! One of my eyes cries for myself, my people, Afghan girls and Afghanistan but the other one is still hopeful for tomorrow, for having a bright future, for living this life, for flying freely, for counting as a human, for fighting against injustice and inequality, to fight for achieving my goals and dreams, to passing all of the life's exams and difficulties without giving up. I drew this drawing to express not only me but also all other Afghan girls. This is one of my drawings that I really love a lot and I couldn't express the feelings and meanings that it gives to me. If I say it in one short sentence; it shows that I am a MOBARIZ.

A Glimpse into Qudsia’s World

If I had to describe myself in a few words they would be: motivated, hardworking, curious, friendly and confident. A girl who has been raised between atrociousness, injustice and inequality of her society, savagery of the world and roughness waves of life. Who knows herself, her people, and feels their pains.
Anyway, hopeful to do something for herself and others by her efforts, knowledge, talents and skills.

This motivation that I have always has made me a person who does not give up in every situation and does her best to achieve her goals, a hard worker. Like any student, any Afghan girl, I face challenges. My biggest one is probably banning school for us. I didn't give up, I found the solutions, I am learning online, I learned skills like painting, writing, calligraphy and I learned language. I am doing my best, I am trying to achieve my goals, I am experiencing life, I am learning it. I learnt that “life is made of problems, this is life, we should simply accept it and we must live it courageously.” Now, I could manage my life in every situation by myself. I don't need someone else to take care of me or my life.

My curiosity is one of the best strengths in my life, as I am curious and I wanna learn more about the things that I hear or read and I find it interesting like poetries. This curiosity made me a book lover, an art lover, a person who loves poems, the reason is finding the points and mysteries inside of them. A person who finds herself in poetry lines, expresses herself, her pains, her people's pains, and shouts the murmur of her country through writing a few words in the format of a poem or a painting all around the world. A person who knows humanity, and wishes for that.

This girl is very serious but her friendly behavior with others is making her a good leader, who has good communication, who is aware of everyone’s situation in this spellbounded country. The reason that she has great goals and dreams for herself and her country, for expressing herself, for wishing to raise her people's voice is the effect of her confidence. She doesn't only speak beautifully but also she acts courageously. Honesty and respect are the most valuable things in her friendships and her personal life. One thing that discrete her from others is her ability to bury all her sadness and pains behind an amiable smile.

Qudsia started learning when she was just starting to speak as a very little kid. She always loved learning, continued her education, and did her best to achieve her goals and dreams. When schools banned girls in Afghanistan when she was in 11th grade. To continue her journey, for expressing herself and other Afghan girls she decided to not give up and she started learning English online, practicing some art works, she learned calligraphy and drawing by herself. Also, during this hard situation she started to write Persian poems but now as her English is good she writes some English poems as well. Right now she is an 11th grade student in an international online high school. She is trying to serve other Afghan girls by voluntary work in different organizations as English teacher, literature teacher, and Coordinator.

Yes, this is me and right now I am so happy that I am part of EmpowerHer’s organization as a participant in Creative Art Workshop which has changed my idea about art, informed me about different, popular, and powerful arts and artists. This workshop helped me a lot to express myself better by art, to have myself’s creativity in art, to know that art is not to be perfect it has to be meaningful, it gives me ideas to create some meaningful things. I drawed some meaningful drawings in this Workshop.

My experience in the workshop was a living testament to the very mission of EmpowerHer. More than just teaching artistic techniques, the space you cultivated was a sanctuary where every woman was encouraged to reclaim her voice, her narrative, and her innate power. Each line of a drawing becomes a metaphor for blending the different facets of my own identity, and in the silent focus of the room, I could hear the quiet, powerful whisper of my own intuition, a voice we were all there to Empower. You don't just teach art; you forge a sisterhood of creators, reminding each of us that our stories, when expressed boldly and without apology, are our greatest masterpieces.

In conclusion, EmpowerHer gave me more than a skill; it gave me a new lens through which to view my own potential. This was not the end of a class, but the beginning of a lifelong journey of creative and personal empowerment. For this profound gift, I will be forever grateful. Like every person and every girl she has some goals and dreams for herself, and her future. She wants to gratify her parents' wishes, her childhood dream, medicate her people's pain and her country’s injury by becoming a doctor. Then makes the sound of Afghan girls, women and people around the world as a journalist. Expresses herself, her people and her country through her talents, art works and also her honorific poems for Persian literature to the world.

Best wishes, Mobariz