Meet Khadijah, a member of a six-person family who were residing in Logar province, Afghanistan. Her life took a drastic turn when her father passed away four years ago. Driven by a strong passion for education, Khadijah found herself on the streets of Kabul, facing poverty and hardship as she worked tirelessly to support her family.
“We had to work on the roadside every day, encountering numerous challenges, from humiliation to harassment. Life became incredibly tough after my father’s death. Skipping a day of work meant going to bed hungry,” she recalls. “There’s a saying that your water should be cold and your bread warm, but for us, both our water and bread were cold.”
Khadijah represents the millions of children who have been deprived of their basic rights and have turned to grueling labor to help their families survive.
“When I was a little girl, I had big dreams that I lost on the streets of Kabul,” she laments. “Every day, my older sister and I went to work. Even though my mother also worked in people’s houses, life was very challenging. Despite my mother’s hair turning gray with time, I still held onto dreams of a hopeful future. No one in our home, except me, had hope for a better tomorrow.”
Two years ago, the HBT organization’s outreach team identified Khadijah and her sister Zahra while they were selling goods on the streets of Kabul. After comprehensive assessments, they were enrolled in school.
“It’s been two years since we started going to school. I’m happy and feel fulfilled. Instead of selling plastic on the streets of Kabul, I now spend more time with books and pens,” Khadijah says with a smile. “I aspire to become a doctor. The excitement of going to school and the joy it brings to my sister, teachers, and me when I excel in my studies fills my heart even more.”
Despite Khadijah’s inspiring journey, millions of children in Afghanistan still lack access to education and are forced into difficult labor to make ends meet.
The HBT organization is dedicated to changing this reality by providing educational opportunities to orphaned and impoverished children in Afghanistan, shaping their future, and ensuring they have the fundamental right to access education!
To turn this belief into reality, we invite you to join us in supporting a child’s education
