On Saturday, I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Dr. Sakena Yacoobi of Afghanistan. She wore a black head covering and a dress covered with beautiful, colorful beaded embroidery.

Dr. Yacoobi founded the Afghan Institute of Learning, an Afghan women-led NGO that has helped provide teacher training to women to help support the education of young boys and girls. She wanted the outside world to know that the people of Afghanistan (especially children and women) are tired of war, which hasn’t let up for thirty years. She stressed that life is a struggle, continually returning to this point.

Her passion as she spoke was tremendous and moving. She strongly believes that “education is the key to real survival.” She went on: “When they [women] ask questions, there is power.” The access to this safe education is what her institute tries to provide. She is strongly rooted in her faith, which inspires her desire to help the people around her. In fact, she told me that it is her faith that gets her through each day. Every morning, she prays to God before leaving the safety of her home and goes into the streets, where many are killed daily.

Her strong voice got quiet when she told me what the lack of security does to the people of Afghanistan. As I asked her to expand on what she described, I realized that I was dreading the answer she would give. She told us about women in a constant state of fear: when they went to the market, to school, or anywhere. “A woman, when she leaves, has to say goodbye to her family because she doesn’t know if she is going to be killed.”

I remembered what had come to mind during Dr. Yacoobi’s powerful keynote speech at the conference’s opening ceremony on Thursday. At the time, I had wondered how many people were thinking about what I was: President Obama’s decision to send 30,000 more troops to her country.

– Dolna