Ideas change everything

Dare to educate Afghan girls

1,282,024 plays|

Shabana Basij-Rasikh |

TEDxWomen 2012

• December 2012

Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 22-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan. She celebrates the power of a family's decision to believe in their daughters -- and tells the story of one brave father who stood up to local threats.

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Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 22-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan. She celebrates the power of a family's decision to believe in their daughters -- and tells the story of one brave father who stood up to local threats.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Shabana Basij-Rasikh

Educator, social entrepreneur

See speaker profile

Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the cofounder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), the country's first and only girls' boarding school.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.