Afghan Women Will Not Be Stopped: Marina Legree on the Hunger to Learn

Marina Legree spent five years in Afghanistan before founding Ascend Athletics — a nonprofit that used mountaineering to develop leadership and self-confidence in young Afghan women. After the Taliban takeover in 2021, she helped relocate more than 130 Ascend alumni to safety. She knows what Afghan women are capable of. And she knows what they've been forced to find other ways to reach. In this conversation with Tahir Shah, she talks about her time living in the country, the warmth and humour of the Afghan people, and — above all — the extraordinary appetite for learning she witnessed among women and girls who have been told, again and again, that the world is not for them. "I really think in a generation or so we're going to have so many incredibly talented Afghan women who've just said, 'OK, I'm not allowed to physically go here or there, but let me get online and I will do everything!'" For many of those women, the obstacle isn't a Taliban ban on the internet. It's the cost of a connection. Azada Women — a project of The Scheherazade Foundation — funds mobile data for women inside Afghanistan. A connection costs around $100 a year. Support the campaign: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/azada-women Ascend Athletics: ascendathletics.org 📧 Contact: [email protected] The Scheherazade Foundation is a UK-based cultural organisation harnessing the power of traditional stories and wisdom to address modern global challenges. #AfghanWomen #Afghanistan #AzadaWomen #WomensRights #HumanRights #Crowdfunder