RESIST. DEFY.

Women-only spaces are powerful spaces. And women are the best allies for women.

To survive oppression and to be ready to resist and defy oppression, women in Afghanistan need to mentor their female family members, neighbors and friends to

cultivate sisterhood and trust
build everyone's literacy - both basic literacy and digital literacy
build everyone's skills
offer advice and solice to each other
build everyone’s strengths as mentors and advocates
build understanding of Islam that is based in the truth and, therefore, in contrast to what the Taliban says
build awareness of how the government limits their options and lives
build awareness of how women can prosper in other countries with majority Islam populations
celebrate victories, however small

Women need to translate resources online, in native languages, so the largest number of other women in their country can access them.

Women need to teach each other what to do, and not to do, in a protest.

Women need to teach each other what to do if they are arrested, and what to do if friends or family are arrested.

Women need to know how to safely support each other in domestic violence situations.

Women need to know why child marriage is horrific and how to discourage such.

Women in isolation need to know how to maximize mobile technologies to learn and to report.

Women need to mentor women (and men!) in building everyone’s awareness that the state is limiting their options ad engaging in activity that is to at all based in Islam.

Women need to debunk rumors and myths and to be skeptical about "breaking news" they read online.

The women in Afghanistan need each other now more than ever before. If they are to survive the Taliban, they must see all Afghan women as their sisters - Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Nuristani, Uzbek, Kochi people, Kyrgyz people - all Afghans.

If you would like to translate this into Dari or Pashto and share it with your own network online, please do.

Also see advice for how to resist, in English and Dari.