PESHAWAR: In a modest home on the outskirts of Peshawar, where opportunities are often limited and challenges are many, a young Afghan girl is quietly transforming lives through the power of education.

While many Afghan refugee children remain out of school due to a lack of documentation, financial difficulties, and other barriers, 18-year-old Amina has taken it upon herself to ensure that the children in her community do not miss out on learning. With determination and compassion, she has turned a room in her family home into a free learning center where dozens of children gather every day in search of a brighter future.

Amina, who has completed her higher secondary education (Grade 12), balances household responsibilities and supports her father while dedicating her mornings to teaching. Every day from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., she welcomes 29 Afghan children into her small classroom and provides them with free education.

Most of these children have been unable to enroll in formal schools because they lack the required documents or face other social and economic obstacles. Seeing so many young minds deprived of education deeply troubled Amina and inspired her to act.

“When I saw children spending their days without learning, I felt that I had to do something,” Amina says. “I may not have many resources, but I can share the knowledge I have.”

In her classroom, she teaches a range of subjects, including Pashto, Urdu, English, Mathematics, Islamic Studies, and basic literacy skills. Despite limited facilities, the classroom is filled with enthusiasm, curiosity, and hope. According to Amina, the smiles on her students’ faces and their eagerness to learn motivate her to continue despite the challenges.

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However, running the classroom is not easy. The center operates entirely free of charge and relies solely on the limited resources available to Amina and her family. There is a constant shortage of books, notebooks, pens, whiteboards, and other essential teaching materials.

Amina hopes that charitable organizations, educational institutions, and generous individuals will come forward to support her initiative. She believes that access to proper learning materials would significantly improve the quality of education she can provide. She also hopes to receive financial support or a modest salary that would allow her to dedicate even more time to teaching and expanding the program.

The parents of her students are deeply grateful for her efforts. They say that without Amina’s classroom, their children would have remained completely deprived of education. They are appealing to humanitarian organizations and education-focused institutions to support similar community initiatives so that more disadvantaged children can benefit from learning opportunities.

For Amina, education is more than just reading and writing—it is a fundamental right.

“Every child deserves an education,” she says. “No child should be denied the opportunity to learn simply because of poverty or a lack of documents.”

Looking ahead, Amina dreams of expanding her free education center so that it can accommodate even more Afghan children who are currently unable to attend school.

Education policy expert Abdullah Atayi believes that community-based initiatives like Amina’s play a vital role in providing learning opportunities for children who are excluded from formal education. According to him, such grassroots efforts offer hope to disadvantaged children and help bridge educational gaps. 

He adds that if young people like Amina are provided with adequate facilities, teaching materials, and financial support, many more children can gain access to education and build a brighter future for themselves.

Although her classroom is small and resources are scarce, Amina’s determination remains unwavering. Her story serves as a reminder that education does not only flourish within the walls of large schools. Sometimes, the brightest light of learning shines from a simple room in a family home—illuminating the future of dozens of children and inspiring an entire community.