Afghan farmer Jahantab Ahmadi sits on the ground, her baby resting in her lap, as she focuses on the university entrance exam she hopes will help her fulfil her dreams
The picture has sparked an outpouring of admiration and offers of financial help for Jahantab Ahmadi, mother of three. Pics/AFP
Afghan farmer Jahantab Ahmadi sits on the ground, her baby resting in her lap, as she focuses on the university entrance exam she hopes will help her fulfil her dreams.
The powerful photo, taken by a professor at Nasir Khusraw private university in central Afghanistan, has gone viral after striking a chord in a country where most women are illiterate and treated as second-class citizens.
Jahantab Ahmadi
"I don't want to be deprived of my studies," Ahmadi, who comes from a remote farming village in Daikundi province, said in Kabul. "I want to work outside the house. I want to become a doctor, someone who serves women in my community or society."
Ahmadi passed the exam after undertaking an arduous journey to reach the provincial capital Nili — two hours on foot through mountains and nine hours in public transport on a bumpy road.
An online GoFundMe campaign launched by the Afghan Youth Association to help pay for her university fees has so far raised more than $14,000 — a fortune in a country where about 39 per cent of the population lives in poverty.
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