Herat to Paris, a Refugee’s Flight
"There were many times I thought I couldn't continue. I lost myself. But something kept me from overcoming my problems: my father. My father never had a higher education but always tried to ensure we did. When I had to leave my family, my father hugged me and said we will always remember you and always be with you. That is what keeps me strong when I think about my future" Fatema emotionally reflects on what gave her strength during her odyssey from Afghanistan to France.
Fatema's journey to higher education started at Herat University, where she graduated with a law and political science degree, which she hoped to use to break stereotypes and pave the way for women to become leaders. "In our society, many people who said girls can't be good leaders. This is why I chose this degree to show that women can be leaders. My goal was to work with international organizations to benefit the girls and women of my country".
Her aim to empower her fellow Afghan women wasn't only contained in her academic life but out in the field, where she worked side by side with some of the most vulnerable members of society. "I worked with them by the name of Women in Economy; it was a national program created by the government and some foreign associations to aid Afghan women and girls. Many women were illiterate and had no income; this was especially common for the women who lost their husbands in war, making them solely responsible for their families to deal with this issue; the association helped create jobs for them.
In 2021 Fatema's trajectory of education and empowerment fell as Afghanistan again fell into political turmoil. "It was impossible to continue the things that I had in my mind and my family's future; we had already lost one of my brothers to the violence." As the political upheaval continued to rock Afghanistan, Fatema had a chance to escape that all started with an interest in language. "When I was younger, before the situation changed, I had this plan to pursue my master's degree in another country, and I chose France. A major plus for this was that I was already studying French independently". French university Sciences Po accepted Fatema to participate in the Professional Certificate for Young Refugees. The Certificate is a two-year, full-time, bespoke course created to meet the specific needs of people whose education has been abruptly interrupted by political instability. It offers tools to develop their professional potential to enter the French job market successfully.
While being accepted for this certificate program was a start for a new future, it wasn't certain. “Because in this period in Afghanistan, the Embassy of France had left Afghanistan, I had to go to Iran to meet with the French ambassador. The problem was that I couldn't go alone past the border of Afghanistan, so my brother decided to travel with me to Iran. After applying, four or five months later, we got visas to Iran. Once we got to the French embassy in Tehran, we found the certificate program manager from Science Po had already contacted the embassy and used their connections to get me the visa” Now, with the visa finally in hand, Fatema was on a place to France.
While relieved that she was in France and able to continue her dreams in higher education, she was confronted by the overwhelming reality that people suddenly uprooted face when in a new country, but Fatema viewed it as a challenge to overcome. "I was faced with a different culture, but from the airport that when I arrived, I told myself that, yes, you are starting from zero and you should find what is in here for you. It was tough at first, but with the support from the program's members, it became easy. Also, because of my French, it was easy to integrate into French society and into the program, the university, and my classmates."
Now settled in France and continuing her higher education, Fatema is again pursuing her dream of becoming a leader in international rights. "After this Certificate, I hope to continue my master's. I want to work with international organizations such as the UN in the long term. I want to be a beneficial person for future generations; that is my hope for my future.”
Education Above All Foundation, through its Qatar Scholarship program, has played a pivotal role in facilitating access to the Professional Certificate for Young Refugees program at Sciences Po. This collaboration has successfully granted access to 30 displaced youth, hailing from conflict-affected regions such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, enabling them to pursue higher education opportunities. The primary objective of this project is to empower exceptional young individuals whose education has been abruptly interrupted, allowing them to access higher education and ultimately transform their lives, both on a personal level and within their respective communities. To date, Qatar Scholarships have made a significant impact by awarding scholarships to more than 9456 students from conflict-affected regions, ensuring they can continue their educational journeys.
