The Same Sky, Different Worlds

"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon." - Konrad Adenauer

I used to believe that education was a right, something everyone had. But when schools in Afghanistan were banned for girls like me, I began to see the world from angles I had never imagined. I realized that while we all live under the same sky, the right to learn is still a privilege in many corners of the world.

Lesedi M., South Africa, memories from April 5th, 2005

I was in first grade. I lived in a small village in South Africa. I had a pen and two notebooks. Our class had only one chair and a table, and our teacher used them. We also had one book that the teacher used to teach. It had been two weeks since I started school, and I already loved it! Every day, I learned new letters and words. That day, our topic was “classroom.” We were learning to write “classroom,” “book,” and “pen.” In IsiZulu, the word for classroom is gumbi lokufundela, and that’s what the teacher wrote on the blackboard. I had my head down, copying the word, when the teacher opened the book and said, “Look students, this is a classroom.”

My eyes widened as I saw the picture. In the picture, all the students were sitting on chairs, with their books and notebooks on tables. The teacher stood beside a whiteboard with a big smile. “How beautiful,” I heard my classmates whisper. Then the bell rang, and school was over. On my way home, which took half an hour, I couldn’t stop thinking about that picture. I imagined myself sitting on one of those chairs, flipping through the pages of my own book. I held back my tears and kept walking.

Today, I have become an educator. I help my students buy books and learn new words. They still don’t have chairs, but I also sit with my students on the ground. Every day, I encourage my students to see the world outside this classroom and dream big.

Fatima A., Afghanistan, memories from August 10, 2023

I was standing on the balcony, looking at the stars in the sky. My teachers used to call me a star, so looking at the stars reminded me of the old days when I could step outside and go to school. I used to dream of a bright future for myself. But I soon learned that the luxury of accessing an education was not meant for me because I was an Afghan woman.

Most of my classmates have gotten married and been forced to forget the dreams we once shared in our classroom. However, some of us still take online classes even when our teacher’s voice fades in broken signals. We read in secret, teach each other, and write in the quiet corners of our homes to resist the system that tries to exclude us from society.

Recently, I founded a non-profit organization that helps women and girls in my country continue learning despite all the countless challenges that have been put on their shoulders. Through my org’s network, we help these women believe in themselves and keep dreaming of a future where learning is their right, not their fight.

Katerina B., Ukraine memories from January 1, 2022

Happy New Year, my dear self. 2022 is your year to go! 

This year, I will start university at my dream school. I am curious and excited. Since I was a little kid, I imagined studying there. I imagined sitting in a classroom and becoming a successful person. I thought I would live a beautiful life, making my family proud.

Then the war began, and in a matter of seconds, a missile hit the university I dreamed of attending. I wish the missiles could slow down and listen to my voice, the voice in my heart that dreamed of sitting in the classroom it wanted to destroy. I migrated to another country to get an education. I sometimes miss my family, my country, and my friends.

Today, I study international security and diplomacy. Maybe I couldn’t attend my dream university, but through education, I aim to help kids in my country study in peace.

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Education is what brings hope. For hope, we need brave souls. Souls that dream from deep places in their hearts and dare to imagine a world they were never given. A world where we all access equal education regardless of our gender, race, or country.

Moska A.