Teacher who educates Afghan refugee girls wins UN prize

Source: UNHCR (Xinhua)

Aqeela Asifi, 49, a teacher who has dedicated her life to educating Afghan refugee girls, challenging cultural sexism by setting up classes in a temporary tent, has been named the 2015 Nansen Refugee Award winner by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Asifi left Kabul with her family in 1992, and ended up living in the remote refugee settlement of Kot Chandna in the Punjab region of Pakistan, where most girls were excluded from the classroom.

Despite few resources, she won over the community and persuaded parents to send their daughters to school.

According to UNHCR, over a thousand children attend permanent schools in the village today, although around 80 per cent of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan are still out of school.

The Nansen Refugee Award has been won in the past by Eleanor Roosevelt and Luciano Pavarotti.

The award ceremony takes place next month in Geneva, and the winner gets $100,000 to fund a project complementing their existing work.

“When you have mothers who are educated, you will almost certainly have future generations who are educated,” said Asifi.

“I wish for the day when people will remember Afghanistan, not for war, but for its standard of education.”

The lack of opportunities for girls in education in the region has prior been highlighted by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

There are currently 2.6 million Afghan refugees living in exile, making them the largest refugee community in the world, according to UNHCR.

“Investing in refugee education will allow children to play a part in breaking the cycle of instability and conflict,” said Antnio Guterres, head of UNHCR.