![\"ShabanaBasijRasikh\"](\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/shabanabasijrasikh.jpg?w=900\")
From age 6 through age 11, Shabana Basij-Rasikh risked her life to go to school. The Taliban had banned girls in Afghanistan from studying at universities and other educational institutions and, thus, Basij-Rasikh dressed as a boy, posing as an escort for her older sister. Together, the two would place their books in grocery bags and sneak off to a secret school.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach day, we took a different route so that no one would suspect where we were going,\u201d says Basij-Rasikh in today\u2019s powerful talk<\/a>. \u201cThe school was in a house, more than 100 of us packed into one living room \u2026 We all knew we were risking our lives — the students, the parents, the teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n When the Taliban fell in 2001, Basij-Rasikh\u2019s father was thrilled that his daughters would be able to return to a traditional school. Still, says Basij-Rasikh, her family\u2019s commitment to education for its daughters was not the norm. In Afghanistan, only 6 percent of women 25 or older received any formal education.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very lucky to grow up in a family where education was prized and daughters were treasured,\u201d says Basij-Rasikh, a recent graduate of Middlebury College in the United States. \u201cDuring the Taliban years, I remember there were times I would get so frustrated by our life and always being scared. I would want to quit. But my father would say, \u2018Listen, my daughter. You can lose everything you own in your life. Your money can be stolen. You can be forced to leave your home in a war. The one thing that will always remain with you is what is up here. If we have to sell our blood to pay your school fees, we will.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After college, Basij-Rasikh returned home and co-founded SOLA, the School of Leadership Afghanistan<\/a>, the first boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. And yet sadly, getting an education is still a risk in the country<\/a>. To hear a shocking story of one of Basij-Rasikh\u2019s students whose family was targeted by terrorists — simply for sending their daughter to SOLA — watch today\u2019s talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here, more talks from people who went to great lengths to get, or give, an education.<\/p>\n![\"Shabana](\"http:\/\/images.ted.com\/images\/ted\/7bce065f0deca72d9ff79e582b3f4b2521658836_240x180.jpg\")
Shabana Basij-Rasikh: Dare to educate Afghan girls<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n