Gathering smiles from Kabul is no easy task; the haze of sorrow cloaks the capital of suicide attacks, hiding its laughter. Its streets are lined with young girls, vendors of small trinkets, who, despite the crushing limitations, carry a spark of hope for education in their eyes. As if the grief of their loss and their survival has been for nothing. When you delve into the depths of poverty, even the thought of opportunity feels out of reach. How can one find peace here? When she, in her tender years, endures the burden of being a girl, swallows the bitterness of poverty, experiences gender inequality, and spends her days tirelessly seeking a morsel of bread. And yet, you can still find her smile. If this isn’t a sign of heroism, then what is? We must nurture the idea of collecting smiles. We must start with our own streets, with the girls in our own neighborhoods. Before poverty births endless mourning, we must spread smiles far and wide.

Fardaws Karimi