At the Omid Foundation, we have seen the incredible strength of women who refuse to stand alone. In Iran and Afghanistan, where oppression is a daily reality, women have found ways to support, uplift, and protect each other. Their solidarity is a quiet revolution—one that is built on shared pain, shared hope, and an unbreakable bond.
A Shared Struggle
Although Iran and Afghanistan have different histories, the women of these two nations face strikingly similar challenges. They both live under regimes that restrict their rights, limit their freedoms, and seek to control their futures. In Afghanistan, women have been stripped of their right to education and work. In Iran, they face harsh punishment for defying strict dress codes and gender laws.
But oppression has not broken them—it has united them.
Education as Resistance
One of the most powerful ways women support each other is through education. When the Taliban banned girls from school, Afghan women created underground classrooms. When Iran cracked down on activists, women continued to share knowledge online.
At Omid Foundation, we see this every day. Afghan women who are banned from studying in their own country join our online English and computer skills classes. Iranian women, despite censorship, help spread awareness about human rights and education. They are not just learning for themselves—they are ensuring that knowledge continues to flow, even in the darkest times.
Protests Without Borders
When Iranian women took to the streets during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, their Afghan sisters stood with them. In Kabul, women risked their lives to hold signs in support of Iranian protesters. Despite the Taliban’s brutal crackdowns, they showed the world that their fight is the same fight.
Iranian women, too, have raised their voices for Afghan women’s rights. They have spoken out against the Taliban’s oppression, demanding that the world not forget their neighbors. Their messages of support remind Afghan women that they are not alone, even when their own country tries to silence them.
Acts of Quiet Resistance
Not all support happens on the streets. Some of the strongest acts of solidarity happen behind closed doors:
- Women in Iran shelter Afghan refugees who have fled their country, offering them a safe space.
- Afghan women secretly teach younger girls in their homes, ensuring education continues despite the ban.
- Women share survival tips, emotional support, and strategies for defying oppressive laws through private online groups.
These acts may seem small, but they are lifelines. They prove that no government, no law, no force can break the bonds between women fighting for freedom.
United in Hope
The regimes in Iran and Afghanistan want women to feel alone, powerless, and hopeless. But they are not alone. They have each other. They have their sisters in struggle.
At Omid Foundation, we stand with them. We see their courage, we hear their voices, and we are honored to be part of their fight for a future where no woman has to struggle alone.
