One day, I was on a call with Donya, one of my three sisters, still in Afghanistan. Her voice was shaky, as if she were speaking through tears. “I don’t even want to paint anymore,” she said. It broke my heart. Donya has been painting for over seven years, art was her passion, her escape. But even that passion was beginning to fade.

Since the Taliban banned Afghan girls from education in 2021, my two younger sisters, Donya, 16, and Sahar, 14, have been among millions of Afghan girls forced to stay indoors, stripped of their rights and dreams. My sister, Danish,  and I were able to escape Afghanistan and later receive full scholarships to study at Cornell. But while we are in a safe place to pursue our dreams, our heart remains with Donya, Sahar, and the countless other Afghan girls left behind.

Estadad was born out of that heartbreak and hope. What began as a way to help my sisters share their talents and earn an income has become a platform for many Afghan girls and women silenced by oppression but full of creativity and resilience. Through Estadad, I hope to give them a voice, a sense of purpose, and a reason to keep creating.

— Yalda Hussain Yar