I’m losing weight, and it’s painful for my family to see what I’m going through after being banned from studying. When the Taliban first stopped us from going to university, I held onto hope that we’d return one day. Now, that hope is gone. We are prisoners in our homes, struggling mentally. We have nowhere to go and ask for help. I don’t know how long this will last or what will happen to me and all the other girls in my situation. 

– Mahtab from Balkh