Education can change a life

Rozita, 22, left school due to the conflict and war in Afghanistan. When she fled from her place of origin Kohsan district to the city of Herat, life became more challenging.

“When we came to [Herat], I started to work. My father was sick and he could not do work,” says Rozita. She did tailoring at home while her mother broke pistachios to support the family. Her brothers were also busy working on the streets, collecting garbage. She has four sisters and three brothers. Rozita is the oldest.

A team from World Vision’s Street Working Children Enrichment Centre met Rozita’s brothers in the street. “My brothers came back home having an information paper about the centre to consult with my parents for their registration,” she says. Rozita’s brothers have been registered to the centre.

When Rozita became sick, her brother took her to the centre’s clinic for treatment.

“By that time, I was registered to the centre, and that was the start of new hope for me,” she says. “I was hopeless about my studies because I was supposed to work. I was waiting to die to stop living. The centre registered me again to school, and I continued my education with their support.”

Dreaming of a brighter future, Rozita finished high school. “The team [at the centre] encouraged me to take the entrance exam to university. When I passed the exam I succeeded in Religious studies,” she says. Rozita is in her last year of university.

Rozita wants to become a lawyer in the future. “I want to serve for the children and women, particularly girls who are mostly victims of traditional violence in Afghanistan,” she says. In her free time, she likes to read books and help her siblings with their studies.

“I hope for more centres like this, to help children and raise awareness among families to support children for their education. Education can change a life,” she says. “I hope for the leaders to provide work opportunities for families, to stop girls working on the street and help them to continue their education.”

If she had a magic wand, here’s what she would do: “I want to change the situation of Afghan children. There won’t be any children to work on the street to get money to support the family and leave their education,” says Rozita.