This RI Woman Created a Program to Educate Afghan Women, Now, She Is Heartbroken
Monday, August 16, 2021
In 2002 while living in Rhode Island, Paula Nirschel saw a news report about women being oppressed in Afghanistan and how girls were forbidden from attending school by the Taliban.
She was motivated to try and create a pathway for young Afghanistan women to receive college educations.
For Nirschel, creating a program was not in her then-existing skill set. But, that did not stop her from creating the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“I used to go on beach vacations, and then, I was going to Afghanistan. I ended up going on nine trips to Afghanistan,” said Nirschel in an interview with GoLocal Sunday night.
The program brought 70 young women to the United States who received college educations. “They all received full scholarships,” said Nirschel.
Her late husband at the time was the President at Roger Williams University, but it was not a program of the school.
The program captured national attention and she appeared on the Today Show with Katie Couric and First Lady Barbara Bush became an advocate of the program.
Now, Heartbreaking FaceTimes
Nirschel said some of the women today have reached the highest level of success. “These women are highly accomplished — they are lawyers, business leaders, and accountants,” said Nirschel.
Now, they are facing the greatest threats.
“They are crazy people these Taliban. There is tremendous fear. I have spoken to many of the women over the past couple of days via FaceTime and they are staying in their homes," said Nirschel.
"Banks are closed -- there is no access to money. Everything is shut down. People are staying in their homes out of fear and they can't get food or money," said Nirschel.
The Path Was Difficult Before, Now “The Gates Are Closed”
Nirschel said that the plight of young women may be even worse in the future under the Taliban than it was in the early 2000s.
"Initially, many of the girls who came through our program were schooled in Pakistani refugee camps," said Nirschel.
"Their families escaped across the border to Pakistan, Now, those borders are closed -- both Iran and Pakistan's. All the gates are closed," she added.
Atrocities By Taliban Have Begun
Nirschel said that the graduates of the program are deeply concerned that women will be targeted by the Taliban.
Human rights groups are worried about atrocities.
In the past few weeks, Human Rights Watch has reported a series of mass killings by the Taliban.
"[A journalist] said that the Taliban had killed at least 19 security force personnel in their custody, along with a number of civilians. Taliban fighters also burned down the house of Abdul Hakim Shujoyi, a former militia commander who had worked with US forces. Human Rights Watch was unable to confirm the exact numbers killed there.
Human Rights Watch obtained a list of 44 men from Spin Boldak, Kandahar, whom the Taliban have allegedly killed since July 16. All had registered with the Taliban before being summarily executed. Waheedullah, a police commander from Spin Boldak, had obtained a “forgiveness” letter from the Taliban, but Taliban fighters took him from his house and executed him on August 2, activists and media monitoring these detentions in Kandahar said."
The United Nations has also warned of crime against women and girls.
"There continue to be reports of serious human rights abuses and violations in the communities most affected by the fighting," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres "is particularly concerned about the future of women and girls, whose hard-won rights must be protected."
What Now
Nirschel, who today runs the Action for Afghan Women, is worried about the future. She said that she fears the Taliban has not changed and will be equally cruel to young girls and women.
"This is now changing hour by hour — we need to share our grieving. We are all crying a lot and not sleeping," she said.
"They [Afghan people] are amongst the kindest people, they will give you the shirt of their backs. I so worry. Where will people be able to escape to, it is very limited — the country was not updating passports in recent weeks," she added.
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