Revisiting 2017 duPont-Columbia Award Winner, “Foreverstan: The Girls’ School and Razia’s Way”

With the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces on August 15, 2021, we are all watching with concern for Afghanistan’s future and for the safety of its women and girls in particular. Over the last 20 years, Afghan women have made great strides: they have been educated, employed, and enfranchised. However, the Taliban’s recent ascension to power threatens to undo this progress. 

As a reminder of what is at stake for Afghan women and girls, we wanted to look back at 2017 duPont Award winner "Foreverstan," a series created by The Ground Truth Project which profiles a girls' school outside of Kabul—a school that will likely no longer be allowed to operate under the Taliban’s oppressive regime. 

Director Beth Murphy traveled to Afghanistan over several years to report on the growth of a successful girls’ school and its dynamic founder in this cross platform story that included a short film, podcast and website. To learn more about the project and see the original reporting, visit their website here.