Weeda was born in a poor Afghan village long under Taliban control and scarred by years of fighting between the Taliban and U.S. forces in the 2000s and 2010s. Her childhood was marked by hardship and instability. Her grandmother was paralyzed with chronic illness, and her father—now in his seventies—was overwhelmed by the weight of caring for her and many children. Stricken by poverty and repeated heart strokes, he could no longer provide for the family. With no home to depend on, they wandered from place to place, simply trying to survive.

In 2019, Weeda’s life changed when she was welcomed into AFCECO’s caring home in Kabul. After the Taliban’s return in 2021 and the ban on girls’ education, she was relocated to a safe AFCECO home in Islamabad, where she finally found stability, opportunity, and the chance to learn again. Today, she attends a private school and has already advanced to the “A” Level of the General Certificate of Education—a path equal to college preparation.