A number of youth with disabilities in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh, say that a lack of educational facilities and economic difficulties have made it difficult for them to continue their education. They also face more restrictions when looking for jobs. They add that, in some cases, employers pay attention to their disabilities rather than their abilities and skills when hiring.
Bubani Hakimi, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif who lost both legs at the age of five after being shot, says that although she could not continue her education, she has skills in tailoring. However, she has faced many difficulties in finding a job.
“I have skills in tailoring, and I am a tailoring teacher myself. I went to many places looking for a job. When I applied, they would say, ‘You are a young woman with a disability, and you cannot do it.’ They did not see my talent; they only saw my disability,” she says.
Rawina Khairkhwah, another 19-year-old resident of Mazar-e-Sharif who was born with a disability affecting her legs, says that society’s attitude toward people with disabilities and the lack of trust in their abilities are among the obstacles that make education and employment difficult for them.
“Things such as the lack of educational materials and society’s lack of trust in the abilities of people with disabilities prevented me from continuing my education. I never thought I was unable to do things, but society thinks I cannot do things because I am not physically like other people. That is my main problem,” she adds.
Asadullah Bakhtari, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif who is blind in both eyes, says that economic difficulties and a lack of facilities, along with his disability, have made it difficult for him to continue his education and find a job, as he has been unable to achieve his dream of studying computer science and finding the job he wants.
“Economic difficulties, a lack of facilities and other problems prevented me from continuing my education or finding a job. Unfortunately, because I had a disability, I could not find employment. If I did not have a disability, perhaps my dream would have been to become a computer engineer or pursue another occupation in which I could have been more successful. But my disability prevented me from doing these things,” he says.
“Abdul Basit Mawlawizada, a graduate of Education in the Department of Islamic Sciences and Culture who has a visual disability, says that the lack of educational facilities, standard classrooms, qualified teachers and Braille, as well as the lack of suitable opportunities to take the Kankor exam in Balkh, have been among the main challenges he and other people with disabilities have faced in pursuing their education.”
“We faced various challenges in our education, including the lack of facilities, the lack of standard classrooms for people with disabilities, the lack of qualified teachers, the lack of Braille and the lack of necessary facilities in Balkh itself,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Sayed Mohammad Yazdanparast, a legal expert, says that the lack of facilities and specialized staff in educational centers, from schools to universities, has limited educational opportunities for people with disabilities. He also considers the incomplete implementation of employment support programs another challenge facing them.
“When a child with a disability is enrolled in a school, there are not enough facilities to include them in educational institutions. Teachers in regular schools are not sufficiently familiar with Braille for blind students or sign language for deaf students. In terms of employment, although three percent of positions in government institutions have been allocated to people with disabilities, there are still problems with having a clear process and implementing it in practice,” he adds.
Sayed Mohammad Hashemi, a university lecturer, says that the lack of standard facilities has made it difficult for students with disabilities to attend university.
“Universities have not been built according to international standards for people with disabilities. People with disabilities face many difficulties under the current conditions. The most important challenge for people with disabilities is economic hardship,” he says.
However, officials from the Balkh Department of Labor and Social Affairs say that measures have been taken to provide vocational training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Abdulghafoor Haqqani, head of the Balkh Department of Labor and Social Affairs, says that three percent of positions in government institutions have been allocated to people with disabilities, and vocational training opportunities have also been provided for some of them.
“Three or four years ago, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs sent a letter to all government institutions stating that three percent of all recruitment in the institutions of the Islamic Emirate should be allocated to people with disabilities. A person with a disability is not incapable. A person with a disability is someone who has a condition or problem affecting part of their body. People with disabilities should not be viewed in a humiliating way.”
Based on a United Nations statement from December 2025, 24.6% of Afghans with disabilities live with mild disabilities, 40% with moderate disabilities, and 13.9% with severe disabilities. The World Health Organization estimates that around 800,000 people in Afghanistan live with severe disabilities, equivalent to 2.7% of the country’s population.
Despite this, youth with disabilities in Balkh say that the lack of educational facilities, economic difficulties, limited employment opportunities, and society’s attitudes toward their abilities remain the main obstacles to their education and employment. They emphasize that providing educational and employment opportunities suited to the needs of people with disabilities could help increase their participation in society and the labor market.
Reporter: Samira Sirat
