- 19 Afghan female trainee doctors from Afghanistan have arrived in Scotland to complete their medical degrees.
- The women were confined to their homes in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.
- The foundation spent approximately $80,000 to bring the students to Scotland.
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that this follows a three-year campaign led by the parents of Linda Norgrove, a Scottish aid worker killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
The Linda Norgrove Foundation successfully secured safe passage to Edinburgh and free university tuition for 19 Afghan female students, who arrived in the UK on Tuesday.
John and Lorna Norgrove noted that the women had "effectively been confined to their homes" in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Norgroves, through their foundation, collaborated with officials from the UK and Scottish governments to assist the Afghan medical trainees.
John Norgrove commended the cooperation between the UK and Scottish governments on the project.
“Finally these 19 incredibly talented young women get their future back with the opportunity of a tremendous education and a career. The alternative for them in Afghanistan wasn’t good,” he said.
The women secured spots at four medical schools in Scotland and were granted domestic student rights.
The campaign overcame numerous legal and bureaucratic challenges, including arranging English-language tests and conducting university entrance interviews via Skype.
The Afghan students traveled to the UK through Pakistan, where they applied for visas for both countries.
In Pakistan, they had to apply for UK student funding, bank accounts, and accommodation.
The foundation spent approximately $80,000 to bring the students to Scotland.
One of the students, Omulbanin Sultani, expressed in a statement that the foundation "saved our lives in every sense of the word." She added, "It fills me with immense pride and joy to stand here today on this beautiful day."
“But let me tell you, being here was not as easy as these words make it seem. We endured a thousand days of suffering to reach this point.”
Another student, 19-year-old Zahra Hussaini, described her arrival in the UK as a “dream,” but expressed hope that Afghanistan will be safe to return to by the time she completes her studies.
Hussaini had just finished her first year of medicine when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan.
“Our journey here will be long enough, maybe for eight years, nine years, and I think during this time many alterations and changes will come to Afghanistan,” she said. “I am hopeful that the situation won’t remain the same.”
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