By Lisa Herb
Executive Director
Alliance for International Women’s Rights

On Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012, the world learned of the horrific and tragic news that, true to their word, Pakistani Taliban had hunted down and shot 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in cold blood. As Ms. Yousafzai was on a school bus filled with other school children, the Taliban boarded the bus, singled out Ms. Yousafzai, and shot her in the head. Two other girls were also wounded in the attack.  (The full story can be found in many newspapers, including the New York Times.

What offense had this child committed to trigger this horrific, cold-blooded attack? She wanted an education. And she wanted other girls to have the ability to seek an education.

I wish Ms. Yousafzai’s story was an isolated incident – but it is not. The Taliban and other conservative elements continue to violently oppose girls’ access to education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as almost every other form of basic human rights for women and girls.

As the director of a small U.S. non-profit that supports Afghan women and girls through long-distance English and mentoring programs, I — along with a dedicated team of volunteer staff, teachers and mentors — encounter tragic, terrible stories from our young Afghan students on a daily basis. These include the murder of family members, death threats nailed to students’ doors for the “crime” of pursuing an education or employment, and forced, unwanted marriages that cut short our young students’ ability to finish school or participate in our programs.

Yet, despite these tragic stories, the Afghan girls in our programs also give us hope. Their incredible drive to learn, their warmth and ability to laugh despite the violence and terrible challenges they face on a daily basis, and their unyielding resolve to better themselves and their country despite the terrible odds, are nothing short of astounding. You can read some of our volunteers’ and students’ experiences on our website. If these young girls are not giving up hope, if they are continuing to fight incredible odds and personal risks to work for a better future for themselves and their country, the international community should not give up either.

Ms. Yousafzai’s courage and the outrage expressed by many Pakistanis over her attack also give me hope that if the international community does not give up, there is a path forward to stamp out extremism and provide every young girl in Pakistan and Afghanistan with at least the basic right to pursue an education.

Lisa Herb was born and raised in Edmonds, where she attended and graduated from Holy Rosary School. An attorney, Herb lives in New York with her family, telecommutes to work at a Seattle law firm, and founded and runs the Alliance for International Women’s Rights.