Help Educate Women & Girls in Afghanistan

Thanks to over 800 donors, we have met our original goal of $95,000 to help fund girls education in Afghanistan. This is tremendous support for education and these girls have benefited greatly over the past few years. There are a number of projects that we have been able to run thanks to these funds, check out one such project below. 

Artist Competition

Sahar held an artist competition at the Gawhar Khatoon school prior to it's opening this summer. The goal was to provide the halls with some beautiful designs and encourage young female artist to continue to develop their craft. Several winners were chosen, we sat down with one of the winners, Mursal, to learn more about her love of art. 

Where are you from? 

I am from Herat, and stay in Kabul. 

 What kinds of things do you most enjoying doing, besides art? 

 Since finishing the school I try my best to focus in my own field (Graphic Design) I also enjoy doing some cultural and social works.  

 When did you first realize that you love art? 

When I was in 11th grade I was always encouraged by my family, especially my mom and my teachers, to be a doctor when I grow up. But after a while I started to ask myself, what do I really want? When I finally chose to be an artist, my family did not accept this. However, I have worked hard and now consider myself an artist, every thing is simply great for me.  

 What role does an artist have in society or why is art important? 

Every person has different opinion but in my opinion art can play a good role in our society but our people don't know the value. If we look carefully there are lots of artistic points around us like boards and stands. I hope to work towards helping people realize the value of the arts. 

Who or What inspires you?

Piccaso's work really impresses me. After studying him and analyzing his work, I realized that there are lots of things that have similarity between my ideas and his.  

How has it been working with everyone on the Gawhar Khatoon school project? 

It was one of the best memories in my whole life. Working individually is not as good as when we work as a group. We were a great team and I had lots of nice moments to reflect on. Working on a mural that big was new for me. It was a learning experience for me at every step. I hadn’t ever thought of working on such a big wall and climbing on to the scaffolding before this project.

Do you think everyone should try art? 

Being an artist is not easy. It takes effort, talent and commitment. In my point of view everyone is born as an artist, the important part is working and discovering yourself. When a child can hold a pen, give them pencil and color to paint. 

Most inspirational person in your life? 

The most inspirational person in my life is Mr. Hashmat a teacher of mine at University. He is the one who encouraged me to work hard and helped to analyze my pieces from both negative and positive sides.  

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 

Think before you start your work.  

What is your dream art project? 

I want to be a graphic designer or animator. Animation is really new in Afghanistan and needs a lot of work and efforts to develop this new industry.

What is next for you? 

Next, I hope to have opportunities like Gawhar Khatoon mural project and be able to share my art with others.