Nilofar, 17, was born and raised illiterate in a remote village in Kundoz province, Afghanistan. Her family was displaced to Kabul after losing their house during the war between the Afghan forces and the Taliban in 2015. She never had the opportunity to go to school in the conservative community of Kundoz. Her two sisters and two brothers were also out of school. After living in a tent in Kabul for one week, her family rented an old house. Jobless, her father started selling ice creams in the streets but was unable to cover the basic needs of a family of seven. Nila’s family was struggling with endless problems and she was determined to find a way to help support her family economically and enable her siblings to read and write.

When Nila joined Blossom Hill Fellow Rahmatullah Hamraz’s school on the outskirts of Kabul, her talent in both literacy and tailoring learning became clear within the first few months. She was very active in class and very creative in her designs. Soon after graduating from the program, she started her home-based tailoring business with the sewing machine provided through the program. She also started teaching her siblings to read and write. Her income from the business was low during the first couple of months because she only had a few customers from her neighborhood. But soon, the word about her unique designs and skillful stitches went around, and now she earns up to $170 monthly (the average Afghan salary is $150/month). Today, Nila is an example of success and an inspiration for every illiterate girl.

On this picture, Nilofar is receiving her graduation certificate from BH Fellow, Rahmatullah Hamraz, on May 31, 2022