DONATE TODAY! UP TO $5,000 WILL BE MATCHED FOR GIVING TUESDAY
August 14, 2024

Voices of Resilience: 3 Afghani Refugees Use Their Professions to Make a Better World

Edited by Nicole Taylor
Photography by Jonah Peterson
Jahan Ara Rafi
Jahan Ara Rafi with some of her paintings

This month marks the three year anniversary of the fall of Kabul. When the city fell, many were forced to flee their homes. Women who had careers, women who dreamed of careers, and women who lifted their voices to fight for equal rights were some of those most at risk. To America’s great benefit, some of these women landed in the US.

Why They Left:

Jahan Ara Rafi
Jahan Ara Rafi with some of her paintings

My name is Jahan Ara. My last name is Rafi. I grew up in Afghanistan and I studied art. I have been an artist for the past 21 years. After studying art in Afghanistan at the Fine Arts institute in Kabul I taught and made art inside and outside of Afghanistan.

The reason I fled Afghanistan was because the Taliban doesn’t accept artists of any kind.

Yalda Quote2
Yalda Royan

I am Yalda Royan. I’m a women’s rights activist.

I have divided my life into before August 15th and after August 15th, 2021. On August 14th, I was a woman who had a job, who had income, who had a house, who had safety, who had social status… On August 15th, I was just somebody afraid of everything.

Mahsa Ahmadi
Mahsa Ahmadi studying her little Qu’ran Mahsa Ahmadi studying her little Qu’ran

My name is Mahsa Ahmadi. I came from Afghanistan in 2017 to the United States. It was an unexpected and necessary move. In Afghanistan I was in my third year of the pre-med program at the University of Afghanistan. When I arrived in the United States I was told I would have to start my degree over.

What They Do Now:

DSC 3370
Jahan Ara Rafi

Whenever I create art I have a message that I want to relay to my audience. Women have been the victim of a lot of political, economical, and cultural problems throughout time in Afghanistan. My work is related to women and how their words and conditions have not been represented. Women inside Afghanistan always have problems, always. Nobody listens. They are always shouting but nobody listens or seeks solutions. This is what the closed mouths in my paintings represent. - Jahan Ari Rafi.

Yalda Royan

Currently, I’m working as a community engagement coordinator at the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Nova Community College. At the same time, I am a consultant for Voice Amplified, which is a feminist humanitarian organization based in the United States. I have been working with them since 2020 as the Afghanistan country team lead. I’m also a founding member of Afghan Women’s Advocacy Group and do advocacy work for the rights of marginalized groups, especially my ethnic community, the Hazara. We are one of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan who have been targeted and have faced violence and discrimination for over 300 years. - Yalda Royan.

Mahsa Ahmadi
Mahsa Ahmadi

In December of 2022, I graduated from George Mason with a degree in Neuroscience. - Mahsa Ahmadi

What They Hope:

Jahan Ara Rafi’s
Jahan Ara Rafi’s Art.

I would like to be one voice with the rest of the Afghan people.When I see the women in Afghanistan struggling in a patriarchal society I get inspired to create art. This art is representing all Afghan women including urban women, women who live in cities, and women who live hundreds of miles away behind closed doors in traditional and patriarchal homes.

Yalda Royan
Yalda Royan

This country, this country is beautiful, it has everything that a person wants, but it’s not my home. The day the Taliban are no more in my country, the next day, my flight will be booked. - Yalda Royan.

Mahsa Amadi 2
Mahsa Amadi

For me, the first two years in the States were the most difficult. But it got easier at the beginning of the third year of my living in the United States. I slowly started to feel like I had two homes: Afghanistan and the United States. The difference was being able to offer something. When I was in Afghanistan, I was this person who could always help others. In the United States when I started volunteering, this feeling came back to me. At the end of my life, I hope to be proud of the fact that I utilized the opportunities and challenges to help others. - Mahsa Ahmadi.


Read Mahsa’s mental health Story.
Read about Yalda’s escape and how they tried to get her to leave without her daughters.
Read about Jahan’s work, teaching art to girls in Afghanistan. Find her art here.

Remind your friends that we are better with refugees and use these three women as examples.

Other Posts

Refugee Doctors Advocate for Legislative Change

The inspiring journey of refugee doctors advocating for legislative changes to ease their path back into medical practice in the U.S. Discover how their efforts led to the unanimous passing of House Bill 995 in Virginia, offering a temporary licensure pathway for International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

October 21, 2024

Their Story is Our Story Applauds the Signing of Virginia House Bill 995 and Continues Efforts to Open Doors for Foreign-trained Medical Professionals in Other States

Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), a non-profit organization that collects and shares the experiences of refugees to deepen understanding and influence action, applauds the signing of Virginia House Bill 995 into law by Governor Glenn Youngkin, after its unanimous passage through the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. It will create a pathway for foreign-trained doctors who have immigrated to the state, including those whose careers were interrupted by forcible displacement, to fill workforce gaps in medically underserved communities.

April 11, 2024

TSOS Joins Panel Discussion at National Conference to Advocate for Refugee Doctors

Their Story is Our Story (TSOS) was privileged to participate inECDC’s 2023 National Conference, August 23-24, 2023. Addressing the theme “Hope and Resilience,” both local and national leaders and advocates responded to the challenges of the past few years and looked forward to the future of refugee resettlement with a renewed sense of optimism.

January 6, 2024
Add Impact to Your Inbox
Sign up for our emails to get inspiring stories and updates delivered straight to you.
Subscribe
© 2024 Their Story is Our Story Privacy Policy
Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.