I met Khadija Ahmadzada in Herat, Afghanistan in June 2025.
She had been giving her time as a taekwondo coach for adolescent girls and young women, working tirelessly for years to give dozens of young women an opportunity to create a community, dedicate themselves to something special, and have a dream of a brighter future.
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, they banned women from participating in recreational activities and sports, and from attending school past Grade 6.
Khadija, now 22, continued mentoring these young women and training them in secret, believing that participating in sports is a universal right. She told me that while some of her colleagues chose to flee Afghanistan during that time, she decided to stay in order to continue training the young women.
When I was invited to their gym as a guest, I met dozens of these young women, who were thrilled to demonstrate their skills to me. What I saw was amazing and awe-inspiring, not only in terms of technical skill which was at the level of international competitions, but also dedication, with many of them eager to explain to me in English or Dari how important taekwondo is for them and how their dream is to be able to leave Afghanistan and compete internationally as representatives of their country. They were careful to not say anything negative about the Taliban.
After my visit, Khadija was interviewed for a Dutch documentary titled "Hila voorbij de Taliban" (Hila Beyond the Taliban), and was guaranteed that her face would not be visible in the video, as she was asked and answered questions about how the Taliban treat women. Her wishes were not honored, and she was clearly shown in the documentary which appeared online.
Following this, in early January 2026, Khadija was arrested by the Taliban, along with her father. While her father was released a few days later, Khadija was kept in jail, threatened with the possibility of stoning while a judge decided her fate. Her crime? Sharing her knowledge and passion for sport, empowering young women, and giving young women hope. The documentary was subsequently removed from the internet, and Khadija was released after 13 days due to international pressure.
Khadija answered my unread messages after being released. She is safe, but she does not want to talk about her experience. She tells me that the interviewer from the documentary called her, but told her that nothing can be done to help her situation.
Khadija has told me that she needs money for basic living with her family, and also to put into action a plan to leave Afghanistan to Pakistan with her family, from where they hope to successfully apply for asylum and travel to a third country.
I've already sent her a little money, and I plan to send more soon. The funds I hope to raise here will be used to help Khadija and her family pay for basic living expenses in Herat, obtain passports for the other 10 people in her family who she hopes can travel with her to Pakistan (Khadija has a passport), pay for travel expenses, and pay for living expenses in Pakistan while applying for sanctuary abroad.
The money will be sent from my United States account to Khadija by Western Union. I have already sent her money this way, and it works.
The money will be given to Khadija to be used at her discretion, and I will suggest that if the money raised is more than she and her family need in the immediate future, that she share it amongst the young women who she was training, young women who have had their training and dreams interrupted and are now afraid to leave their houses.
Thank you for your support.
John Seagle
Organizer
