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Engineering student Somaya Faruqi had to flee Afghanistan to continue her studies after the Taliban government returned to power two years ago and banned more than 1.1 million girls and women from schools and universities.

The 21-year-old, now living in the United States, is the face of a campaign launched Tuesday by the UN's Education Cannot Wait global fund to combat the crisis, marking the two-year anniversary of the fall of the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

UNITED STATES - Engineering student Somaya Faruqi had to flee Afghanistan to continue her studies after the Taliban government returned to power two years ago and banned more than 1.1 million girls and women from schools and universities.

The 21-year-old, now living in the United States, is the face of a campaign launched Tuesday by the UN's Education Cannot Wait global fund to combat the crisis, marking the two-year anniversary of the fall of the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

Engineering student Somaya Faruqi had to flee Afghanistan to continue her studies after the Taliban government returned to power two years ago and banned more than 1.1 million girls and women from schools and universities.

Two years ago, on Aug. 15, 2021, the Taliban marched into Kabul and everything changed.

First came the bans on women and girls’ education. Then they were banned from working outside the home, prohibited from accessing public baths, parks, and gyms, and moving freely around the country.

Education Cannot Wait's new #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign brings voices of Afghan girls targeted by the de facto Taliban authorities' ban on girls' education to the global stage -- on two-year Afghanistan takeover anniversary. 

Education Cannot Wait's new #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign brings voices of Afghan girls targeted by the de facto Taliban authorities' ban on girls' education to the global stage – on two-year Afghanistan takeover anniversary.

Education Cannot Wait's new #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign brings voices of Afghan girls targeted by the de facto Taliban authorities' ban on girls' education to the global stage – on two-year Afghanistan takeover anniversary. 

The UN's Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund initiated on Tuesday a campaign to increase awareness about the education rights of Afghan girls.

The campaign was developed in collaboration with ECW Global Champion Somaya Faruqi, former captain of the Afghan Girls' Robotic Team, with compelling artwork by a young Afghan female artist.

Education Cannot Wait launches compelling, poignant, global campaign – bringing the voices of Afghan girls targeted by the de facto Taliban authorities’ ban on girls’ education to the global stage – on two-year anniversary of takeover of Afghanistan

The UN fund that ensures children can continue learning during emergencies and protracted crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), launched a campaign on Tuesday to elevate the voices of young Afghan girls deprived of their basic right to education.  

In 2022, UNICEF reached 18,000 children in Al-Hasakeh, northeast Syria, with a self-learning program and remedial classes to help them continue their education.

When war in Sudan’s capital forced Sarah Al-Sharif and her family to flee, the 19-year-old information technology student left her books and computer behind.

Now in Sennar, 30km southeast of Khartoum, she lacks a stable internet connection or passport to travel abroad and like many others sees no way of continuing her studies while fighting between rival military factions rages.