The generation that grew up in the last 20 years in Afghanistan was an exception given its greater access to opportunity and decreased challenges compared to past generations.

Some of these youth --aged 20 to 25--said they were provided good educational opportunities, but they would have made much more progress if the challenges over the last few years did not exist. 

Mina Haidari, 20, said she grew up at the start of the US and NATO’s military presence in Afghanistan, an era that provided vast opportunities for girls, especially for their education. 

Haidari, who is in her second year at university, works as a librarian at a cultural center in Kabul. She says that so far she has not seen any limitations in her activities, but she has heard from elders of her family that women were faced with many hardships in the past, especially in the 1990s. 

“Right now, we are in a society where a family feels proud when someone, especially a woman, gets an education, makes her future and becomes an effective person in society,” Haidari said. 

But amid many concerns following the start of the withdrawal of US and coalition forces, the Afghan youth said they are optimistic about the future and insist that peace is the only way forward and the only solution to the conflict. 

“We can achieve more for the country if the situation improves a bit or remains as it is right now,” said Jafar Tabish, a Kabul resident. 

“We felt calm, we had no tension, and were focused on our education. We succeeded to complete our education,” said Husain Haidari, a Kabul resident. 

Many youth in Afghanistan have achieved key roles in the government and private institutions over the last two decades. Their role in media, parliament and provincial councils has been steady during this time.