MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Switzerland – Canton Government of Geneva in French
On August 19, 2024, the President of the Council of State, Ms. Nathalie Fontanet, met with Ms. Taïba Rahim, President of the Nai Qala association, an organization supported by the canton which manages education projects for populations living in isolated areas of Afghanistan.
This meeting provided an opportunity to review the general situation in the country and more specifically that of women and girls, and to better understand the realities experienced by the inhabitants of rural and remote regions of the country. The approach of the organization, created in 2007, aims to strengthen the dignity, self-confidence and sense of initiative of the population and women in particular.
Since 2017, the canton of Geneva has supported various community education projects in several regions in the centre of the country, notably through the construction of schools. The project currently funded by the canton includes various activities, such as the opening of community classes and the provision of materials. The project also includes a training component for teachers from local communities, as well as workshops to prevent violence against children and within families.
Taïba Rahim, a life for education.
Taïba comes from a rural and precarious region of Afghanistan. Born into a family of 8 children, it was her father who insisted that all his children, including his daughters, could go to school. This humble man of modest means had a very clear vision: to give a different future to his nine children, especially his daughters, and to lift them out of poverty. To achieve his mission, there was only one watchword: study. Since there was no school in the region where they lived, her father decided to leave their village, his job and his status to settle in the city, where his children could go to school. Life there is very difficult, but the children can finally go to school.
Taïba then continued her studies, until she became a secondary school teacher. Life then led her to work for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan, then in Bosnia and Geneva, where she remained for many years.
In 2007, when she felt like she was drifting away from her father’s mission and from Afghanistan, she decided to create an association to promote education in her home country. This is how Nai Qala was born. The association is named after her father’s native village, and also means “calligraphy castle”. Through her education project, Taïba shares a message of hope for Afghanistan. She wants to show the world that Afghanistan is the country of calligraphy, not war and poverty. She regrets that the world has a brutal vision of her country. Taïba is deeply grateful to her father, because it is thanks to him that she was able to realize and achieve her professional aspirations.
Today, Nai Qala is one of the few women-led organizations in Afghanistan. Through its educational projects, it has a significant impact on hundreds of women and girls, and offers hope in the face of the current challenges facing the country. Taiba strongly believes that Nai Qala is a key player in the Afghan community, led by Afghans for Afghans, with the guiding principle of always “getting involved in difficult times.” According to her, the various supports she receives for the Nai Qala project exemplify the true essence of humanity and inspire hope that Afghanistan, in these difficult times, will move towards a brighter future.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.