FREE TO RUN IN AFGHANISTAN
Since the Taliban's return to power on August 15, 2021, women and girls in Afghanistan have been subjected to a relentless series of decrees that have systematically dismantled their rights. Each year has seen an escalation in the oppression of women, with devastating consequences for their lives, their freedoms, and their futures.
If you’ve been following Free to Run for a while, you’ll know that women and girls were forbidden from participating in sport in 2021, forcing us to suspend our operations in Afghanistan and evacuate our program staff. Since 2022, Free to Run has been delivering our clandestine ‘Omid’ program (indoor strength training and mental resilience sessions) delivered in secret to provide at least some small sense of hope and community for the young women who have been effectively trapped in their homes.
For more on life in Afghanistan three years after the return of the Taliban, read this post on our blog.
“I am F, and I was a school student. I had such wonderful days. In the morning, I would wake up with a goal: going to school. I would get up happy and full of energy, wash my face, have breakfast, put on my school uniform, and grab my bag, ready to go to school with my friends. Now, those days are just a dream.
I had real motivation back then, but now I wake up in the mornings without happiness. For three years, I have been at home. Some days I read books or write about my good days on paper. Life without a goal is so hard, but I’m hoping for a day when I can achieve my goals and go to school or university again.”