By Essar Batool

In 2016, the Indian-occupied state of Kashmir once again erupted in valley wide protests, in collective expression for freedom, after the killing of a popular militant leader Burhan Wani. The protests continued for over six months and resulted in the killing of around 100 civilians.

Ayesha Amin tells her mom's story, a Canadian/Pakistani WHRD who died of breast cancer. Read her words as she reconnects with her mother's roots by meeting with her mom's former feminist colleagues at the 2016 AWID Forum.

For AWID member Meher Bano Mirzayee, experiences and dreams are strongly connected to hard work. The education she completed so far was driven by hard work and the wish to challenge and change the way in which Afghan society views girls and women.