Fatima, the determination to have education beyond all obstacles

SINCE CHILDHOOD AS A SHEPHERD IN AFGHANISTAN, FATIMA HAS STRUGGLED TO EMANCIPATE HERSELF. HAVING ESCAPED AFTER THE TALIBAN'S SEIZURE OF POWER, SHE IS NOW AT BOCCONI ON A SCHOLARSHIP

Do not accept your fate as already sealed. This is the motto of Fatima Haidari, 24-year-old Afghan, which has led her to struggle to study and emancipate herself since her childhood in the pastures of Herat. A path that seemed to find an insurmountable obstacle with the Taliban's seizure of power, but that thanks to her courage she now resumes in the classrooms of Bocconi, thanks also to the university's initiatives to help refugee students.
Born in a small village in Ghowr province, Fatima began at an early age helping her family as a shepherd girl. But even as a child, she did not want to surrender to a fate of remaining uneducated.
It was difficult for girls to access education. So I would take the sheep out to graze near where the boys were doing outdoor schooling and I would secretly listen to the lessons. And I would practice writing in the sand," Fatima recounts in fluent English that serves as evidence of her determination.

When she was 12, the family moved to Herat, and Fatima remained determined not to give up the chance to study. She started making small handicrafts, which her mother would then sell, and with the money she bought books and notebooks and continued to study on her own. This motivation helped her later to get a scholarship for girls and finally be able to attend a school.

"After finishing school my family wanted me to stop studying. But I didn't want to accept the traditional path of Afghan women and managed to enroll in 2019 at Herat University to study journalism," Fatima says.

While working on a history project, Fatima discovered the historical riches of her country and opened a Facebook page where she showcased sights and beauties of Herat. Foreign travelers arriving in Herat contacted her and asked her to be their guide. By word of mouth, this experience spread and eventually became a job for a specialized travel agency. Fatima thus became the first woman tour guide in Afghanistan, also encountering strong hostility because of working as a woman.

And during her studies she also carried out initiatives to empower women. With friends she founded an association to help female students and women of all ages learn literacy and math. And she held a radio program in which she talked about women who had experienced difficult situations but had managed to change their lives.

"I took pride in helping women empower themselves and give them hope," she says. "My motto is 'be a changer, not a victim’. You must not simply accept your situation but fight for change. Life was going so well - I was so happy to be able to pursue my dreams."

But it all collapsed in mid-August 2021 when after months of fighting in the country, the Taliban took Herat and shortly thereafter power with the fall of Kabul. "People warned me that I could be a target for the Taliban. It was so hard - I had to leave my family, my studies, my job. I escaped first to Kabul but with the fall of the city I felt like a dead man walking there too."

Fatima had opportunities for flights to flee the country but getting to the airport proved impossible, with those dramatic images of people trying to flee going around the world. "There was a terrible crush and it looked like a horror movie. I made multiple attempts but the Taliban were pushing us back and I saw someone even drop dead next to me."

She finally managed to get into the airport, paying a Taliban $300, and a flight took her to Italy. ""I was in shock, so sad. On that flight I finally felt safe but so sad that I had given up everything. I had always dreamed of pursuing my studies abroad, but not in that way."
Fatima found an initial welcome in Italy as a refugee and begins to look for opportunities to continue her studies and learned about the full scholarship, which covers all expenses, that Bocconi offers as part of the university's initiatives to welcome forced migrant students.

And so Fatima managed to enroll in the Bachelor's degree in International Politics & Government and has been attending classrooms on campus in Milan for a few weeks now.
"I chose Bocconi because it has a great reputation and a truly international environment. And the staff has been so welcoming. Now I have to make the most of this opportunity," Fatima says. "Ever since I was just a shepherd girl, I've had big dreams - one of which is to be an entrepreneur and independent woman who can then help other women become one too. I hope this opportunity will help me achieve that."
 

by Tomaso Eridani