The Strength of Belief

Arezo is a young woman who was born and raised in Afghanistan. From a young age,

she was exposed to the unfair expectations of the world. In Afghan culture, women and girls

are expected to submit to the men in their lives, putting themselves aside in order to ensure

the men’s comfort. This societal value led to her father mistreating her mother for many

years, creating a volatile childhood for Arezo. Adding to the instability, when Arezo was a

teenager, her mother developed a mental illness. Her father divorced her and began a life

with another woman, leaving Arezo and her siblings with no way of supporting themselves.

For many years, her family struggled with extreme financial difficulties. Her mother was

largely unable to work, and often required care during difficult periods of her illness. Thus

the burden fell on Arezo and her siblings to keep the family buoyant. Through whatever

means they could find, they worked to make ends meet, and came through their trials much

stronger than before. In Arezo’s words, “my family rebuilt our life, and even right now it’s

better than the past.”

Growing up with a single mother, Arezo was taught to study hard. She learned

English, attended school, and was shown that marriage does not make a girl any more

worthy than she already is. Her mother demonstrated a resilience and motivation that

shaped Arezo into the person she is today. Many Afghan girls marry young, starting families

and taking care of their households for nearly their entire life. Arezo, on the other hand, has

had the opportunity to attend school, have a job, and meet hundreds of amazing people from

around the world.

Each one of the people Arezo has gotten to know throughout her years have shaped

her life in a unique way. One example of this is clear through Arezo’s time in high school.

Like all Afghan women, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan changed the trajectory of her

life. The Taliban re-entered Afghanistan before Arezo graduated high school, and for a period

of time she couldn’t attend school since online programs were competitive and hard to come

by. After searching online for school programs, she met Elke Damesyn, who runs the

Institute for English Literacy. Arezo and Elke quickly bonded, and Arezo began taking classes

through the IEL program. She loved the school, learning so much from it. She said, “being

taught by people with such optimism and hope for the future inspired me to expand my own

dreams.” She began looking for more ways to further her education and widen her horizons.

For months, Arezo spent all of her free time writing essays to apply to an

international high school program. Despite the effort she put into her application, she was

denied entry since she didn’t have a passport. “It was heartbreaking news for me,” she said.

“One of the only things that helped me was talking to Elke. She reminded me not to give up,

and told me to continue striving for other opportunities. She fully believed in me.” That

belief gave Arezo the confidence to continue searching, and in no time at all she was accepted

to the American University of Afghanistan. She finished high school and started her

Bachelor’s Degree, which she is still working on right now.

Going to school and meeting Elke had a monumental impact on Arezo’s life. As she

learned and grew, she realized how lucky she was to have the opportunities and perspective

that she does. Few girls in Afghanistan have strong female role models, making it difficult

for them to see what women are capable of. Arezo wants to change this, to give them

something concrete to endeavor for. After much consideration on the best way to do this, she

applied for an advisory position with IEL.

Arezo’s compassion, understanding, and empathy made her incredibly qualified to be

an advisor, and she was given the job almost immediately after submitting her application.

Since that day, she has touched the lives of nearly all of the people involved with IEL, and

many more outside the program as well. Like her, all of the students and teachers at IEL are

Afghani. Arezo relates to them in a way that few people outside the country ever could. She

explains: “I’m a good advisor since I’ve experienced so much difficulty in my life. I can use

my own experiences to help others make decisions and plan for their futures.” The same way

that her mom encouraged Arezo to learn English, Arezo encourages her students to learn

English. And the same way that Elke encouraged Arezo to find a scholarship, Arezo

encourages students to search for them as well. She says, “most of what I do has nothing to

do with school or learning. I simply believe in the students. I show them that I believe in

them and I create opportunities for them to believe in themselves. Whether it’s by finding

them scholarships or signing them up for the English proficiency test, I do my best to show

them a world where anything is possible, as long as they believe they can do it.”

This outlook on life is one we could all use more of. No matter what we want out of

our lives, knowing that someone believes in us makes it seem a little more possible. Sharing

our lives, our stories, and our dreams can bring so much joy to oneself, and can spread so

much joy to others. Arezo says, “what makes me happiest is not the things in my life that are

successful. It’s when others are happy, and I can join them and celebrate with them.”

Arezo stated at the beginning of her interview saying, “Women in Afghanistan have

no power.” Throughout her life, however, she has proven the opposite. Power does not have

to come through control, or authority. It can be a simple shift in perspective. By encouraging

Afghan girls to believe in themselves, Arezo empowers both herself and those she

encourages. She improves their lives despite the difficulties of the world they live in, creating

unstoppable change through conversations and motivation. Through every aspect of herself,

she has become the role model that she wanted other girls to have.

The importance of believing in others is not to be understated. Arezo is living proof

that such belief can change the lives of many. So for a moment, consider those in your life,

and show them that you believe in them. Big or small, a little belief goes a long way.