School in Spina

Every morning in Spina, a small village in Afghanistan, about 50 girls sneak through a square opening in a mud-baked wall. In defiance of a Taliban edict, they are going to school. They sit on the floor where the chalkboard is, about half of them have old books sent from Kabul. At first there were only a few children 5 to 12 and as the school, began by two brothers, became known, the children kept coming including girls. The two brothers with long beards and traditional Afghan dress, want to remain anonymous. They say they know the people in the Taliban, chose not to join and told them they would only teach religion to the girls. Still threats were received, but the school goes on in hopes the threats will not be carried out. The courage of the two brothers is of course remarkable, but even more remarkable is he courage, the determination, the temerity, fearlessness, enthusiasm of the young girls. They force us to put our everyday life under scrutiny and too make us feel that with that kind of people in its midst Afghanistan will survive in spite of its politics.