Refugee girls on the outskirts of Herat in Afghanistan. The education of refugee children is neglected as the world grapples with its worst refugee crisis since World War II. Photo: AFP
When Aqeela Asifi accepted the Nansen refugee award in Geneva this month, the 49-year-old Afghan teacher appeared with her husband, Sher Mohammed, and youngest daughter, Sawera, 11. It was a moment to celebrate Asifi’s “brave and tireless dedication to education for Afghan refugee girls” in Pakistan.
But the fact that Asifi says she feels like a failure when it comes to the education of her older daughters reveals just how difficult it is to slice through the Gordian knot of poverty, cultural sensitivities and lack of resources that stymies education for all refugees, but particularly girls in conservative societies.
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