When we asked Afghan women what they most needed, we expected many things. What came back, clearly and consistently, was a single answer: an internet connection.
In this conversation, Tahir Shah and Jason Webster — co-founders of The Scheherazade Foundation — talk about Azada Women, the Foundation's campaign to fund mobile internet access for women living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. They discuss how the project began, how it operates, and why something as simple as a data connection has become, for millions of women, the difference between isolation and the world.
Today, 20 million women and girls in Afghanistan live under more than 250 Taliban edicts restricting their freedom to work, study, move, and speak. One hundred dollars connects a woman for a year — including secure access tools to keep her safe online.
Azada — from the Dari word for free.
🔗 Support the campaign: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/azada-women
🌍 Learn more: https://www.sf.charity/azada-women
📧 Contact: info@sf.charity
The Scheherazade Foundation is a UK-based cultural organisation harnessing the power of traditional stories and wisdom to address modern global challenges.
#AfghanWomen #Afghanistan #AzadaWomen #WomensRights #HumanRights #Crowdfunder
What is The Scheherazade Foundation Mini Podcast?
Hosted by Tahir Shah, the Scheherazade Foundation Podcast brings you conversations with thinkers, artists, and changemakers working at the intersection of culture, justice and the human imagination.
The Foundation takes its name from the great storyteller of the Arabian Nights — and like Scheherazade herself, we believe that stories have the power to transform the world.
Our conversations begin with the Foundation's Azada Women project, supporting Afghan women and girls at a moment of profound crisis, and reach outward from there to wherever the most important work is being done.
Short, focused, and always worth your time.