"It made a point to re-evaluate our responsibility towards the SOLA students, family, and staff and we knew that it was going to be increasingly irresponsible to operate as the only girls’ boarding school given the increased insecurity and unpredictability of [the] political situation in the country,”"

"Out of the blue, Rwanda became a possibility and quite fortunately we were quickly welcomed,”"

"We have been through a difficult journey of evacuation. We gave our students basic art supplies and they started painting and drawing just as a way of going through therapy here,”"

"The same shopkeeper at a certain convenience store should not notice you every day. They (parents) never knew when or if we would return home,""

"Our parents would tell us; you can be forced to leave your home, forced into exile, and lose any material or property in your possession. But the one thing that can never be taken away from you is your education,"

"What struck me the most, was living in a society for the first time in my life, where girls had no concerns whatsoever that their freedom to attend school could be taken away from them at any time, which is something that every single Afghan girl who's lucky enough to go to school lives with,""

"I was taking with me from Afghanistan some of the best educated girls, women leaders in the making. I felt so heartbroken for our people, for Afghanistan. I felt heartbroken for the very people who are leaving. They are some of the most wanted talents in Afghanistan. And as soon as they step outside of this airport, they are going to be seen as unwanted refugees wherever they end up,"

"We cannot under any circumstances submit to the Taliban's vision for Afghanistan. It means continuing to educate more Afghan girls,"

"I've borrowed a stone from the airport. I need to return. I spend every waking hour preparing for it,""

"In our house and in our personal relationship, SOLA starts from when we wake up to when we go to bed,"

"I found myself in a classroom where most of my classmates were six years older than me. And it was the first time I was aware of the gift my parents had given me by risking their lives and our lives [referring to her sister]. Because when I went to school, my thinking and my aspirations changed."

"“That gave us even more opportunities for innovation in that space. Creating a physical and safe nurturing learning environment in Kabul that allowed us to draw students from some of the most remote areas,”"

"I never experienced such sudden change – as if no government existed before. Now our only hope is for the young generation to fill the gaps and reform the system, but that will only be possible with international support."

"In her opinion, talking to the Taliban about reconciliation is a mistake, “another short-term quick fix that will do nothing to solve the world’s problems.” She advises her daughters not to be afraid of anything in case she doesn’t make it back home one day: “I live this life so that you — my precious girls — will be free to live your lives and to dream all of your dreams.”"

"In her letter to her mother, Koofi writes: “I learnt from you that literacy alone is not enough to bring up good children, but intelligence, patience… and self-sacrifice. This is the example of Afghan women, women like you who would walk miles with an empty stomach to make sure your children get to school.”"