Learning at Middlebury is not restricted to the classroom and laboratory. Every aspect of campus life is designed to create an environment that encourages students to experiment and take intellectual risks. The College is committed to enhancing the constellation of programs, facilities, and technological resources required to create and maintain that environment.
“My time at Middlebury has given me the opportunity and freedom
to explore the things that interest me most… I want to learn
so many things here and take them back to Afghanistan with me.”
— Zohra Safi
Hometown:
Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, attended high school in Pakistan
Major: political science, women’s and gender studies
Mentor: Sujata Moorti, professor of women’s and Gender Studies
“Sujata Moorti is one of my favorite professors on campus. She makes you think about issues that are very important but unnoticed in our societies. I had her for two semesters, and after each lecture I shared and discussed information I had absorbed with my friends and classmates. I love her relationship with students. When you talk to her, you realize that you are talking to a friend who welcomes your questions and always encourages you to do something in your life.”
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khalid Hosseini. From the author of The Kite Runner. “This is a beautiful book, and has descriptions of women during the war and the Taliban time,” says Zohra Safi ’08.
The Places in Between, by Rory Stewart. “A great read, this book has some hints about the history of Afghanistan.”
www.afghanistans.com “This web page has all sorts of information about Afghanistan, such as the history, literature, culture, and languages,” according to Safi.
www.afghan-web.com “This site is called ‘Afghanistan Online,’ and contains important information about the country’s art, literature, and economy—and also about Afghan women.”
www.ieaw.org “This web site of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women shows the achievements of young Afghan women and their efforts to transform their lives and communities with the help of education.”
A quotation written in flowing script decorates the wall of Zohra Safi’s dorm room: “We must become the change we want to see.” Every morning, Zohra wakes to those words of Mahatma Gandhi, and she thinks about what she will do today to become part of the change she wants to see in Afghanistan.
The Plight of Afghan Women
- 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate.
- 30 percent of girls have access to education in Afghanistan.
- One in every three Afghan women experiences physical, psychological or sexual violence.
- 44 years is the average life expectancy rate for women in Afghanistan.
- 70 to 80 percent of women face forced marriages in Afghanistan.
Zohra is one of 30 Afghan women currently attending college in the United States through the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women, a nonprofit program that provides highly motivated Afghan women with full four-year scholarships to select American colleges. The students pledge that after completing their education, they will help to rebuild their country.
In fact, Zohra is not waiting for graduation. Last year, she and four classmates founded a campus organization called Women and Global Peace, which is dedicated to improving women’s lives in conflict zones, and she helped to organize a week-long symposium on Afghanistan. Last summer, she returned home to help new recipients of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women scholarships to prepare for their transition to colleges in America. And she returned again this summer to assist with a U.S. Department of Justice program to rebuild the Afghan judicial system.
“In
my country the illiteracy rate is very high, and we are in dire need
of educated people,” Zohra says. “My Middlebury education
will help me to teach the value of life and knowledge to Afghans who
are tormented by decades of war and destruction.”
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