Supporting Afghan Women and Girls on the Move

Leila came to Türkiye in late 2018 from Afghanistan. The story of Leila, a student who overcomes and adapts to the place she lives in due to foreignness, finds hope It turns into a full story.

Leila states that they encountered exclusion and discrimination when they came to Türkiye. However, with the determination to overcome these difficulties, she started learning Turkish under the guidance of her primary school teacher. While Leila surmounted the problem of not knowing the language thanks to the support of her teacher, at the same time, she was trying to teach Persian to her teacher.

Explaining the difficulties her family experienced during the civil conflict in Afghanistan, Leila said that she had to emigrate to another country. She states that they had to do it. A bomb was thrown into their house while her father was a police officer and her father was seriously injured.

One of the turning points in Leila's life is her struggle against the negativities she encountered while coming to Türkiye. It starts with her feeling the need to defend herself. Leila, became stronger by learning karate.

When she started, she thought that she could not find what she was looking for in taekwondo, so she took a break. She thinks she failed. Meanwhile, she returned to this sport with the support she received from the Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (ASAM).

Leila manages to get medals and now she is a black belt ...

Stating that her father looks at her with pride because of her achievements, Leila said that she is a black-belt taekwondo athlete who takes pride in making a difference in society. However, for her, taekwondo is not just a sport, it is also part of being a beautiful person.

One of Leila's biggest dreams is to become a doctor. She describes her love for this profession by saying, “When we go to the doctor and get vaccinated, I wouldn't even feel the pain of the vaccine from watching doctors.".

Leila believes that anything can be achieved with hard work and thinks it is important not to lose hope even when there are difficult days. Leila's life story represents a struggle full of resilience and hope.

(Note: The real name of the beneficiary has been changed.)