HerStory
Because every Afghan woman's story matters
Advocating for change through storytelling
Four years since the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Afghan women and girls remain systematically barred from education, work and public life.
Nila Ibrahimi, an 18-year-old and a new Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, fled Afghanistan with her family in 2021. In 2023, as a youth activist, she co-founded HerStory - a powerful storytelling platform designed to document and share the experiences of Afghan women and girls both inside Afghanistan and across the diaspora.
Photo credit: HerStory website
Preserving identity, rewriting history
HerStory is about creating a space where Afghan girls and women can be themselves: share their culture, preserve their identity, and record the side of history that might otherwise be erased, all without waiting for permission or an invitation.
Photo credit: Shakila Paiman
Defying stereotypes
HerStory aims to tell the truth as it is, not as it's selectively portrayed by the media. By giving Afghan girls the microphone, the organization gives them the chance to introduce themselves to the world before the world defines them through stereotypes or headlines.
Photo caption: Marefat High School, Kabul, Afghanistan
To be seen, to belong
HerStory helps to humanize people from countries like Afghanistan and hopes to pave the way for future Afghan generations to feel seen, to belong, and to express themselves freely, without having to define their identities through pain.
Photo caption: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
"There are millions of girls who have been displaced, including in Afghanistan, who have no access to education or resources, yet they persist in their struggles. They have not given up. This resilience is what I want to highlight about Afghan girls. That's the full picture that deserves support, appreciation and attention."
Nila Ibrahimi, Co-founder, HerStory
Photo caption: Nila Ibrahimi receives the International Children's Peace Prize in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 2024