They say, where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Meet Jahantab Ahmadi, a 25-year old farmer from Afghanistan who’s winning the internet with her zeal to fulfill her dreams.
In a photo that’s going viral and has struck a chord with millions, she can be seen participating in a university entrance exam while holding her two-month-old baby in her arms.
A professor at Nasir Khusraw private university took these pictures and posted them on his Facebook account.
According to a report filed by CNN, Jahantab, a mother of three from a remote farming village in Daikundi province, aspires to become a doctor.
She says,
“I don’t want to be deprived of my studies. I want to work outside the house. I want to become a doctor, someone who serves women in my community or society.”
Ahmadi who, as per the report, was at first sitting at a desk, had to later move to the ground as her baby, Khizran, wasn’t comfortable in her lap.
Her zest to appear for the exam was such that she didn’t even think twice to cover an arduous journey to reach the centre in provincial capital, Nili. It reportedly took her two hours on foot through hills and nine hours in public transport on a road.
In a country like Afghanistan where women are usually adverse to education and are considered as second-class citizens, Ahmadi who finished high school after she got married at the age of 18, not only broke stereotypes but also passed the exam with filling colours.
She says,
“My life goal was to get admitted into university But due to our poor economic situation and poverty I could not afford to study for three or four years. I don’t want to be left behind.”
Her photo resulted in an outpouring of love and support.
Impressed by her will to achieve her dreams, Afghan women’s rights activist Zahra Yagana offered her to come to Kabul to study. While an online GoFundMe campaign launched by the Afghan Youth Association is helping her pay university fees and has manged to raise over $14,000.
Considering Afghanishtan’s literacy rate which is one of the lowest in the world and even lesser for women, this is a very positive image.
More power to you, Jahantab.