Ideas worth spreading

How I stopped the Taliban from shutting down my school

1,652,740 views |

Sakena Yacoobi |

TEDWomen 2015

• May 2015

When the Taliban closed all the girls' schools in Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi set up new schools, in secret, educating thousands of women and men. In this fierce, funny talk, she tells the jaw-dropping story of two times when she was threatened to stop teaching -- and shares her vision for rebuilding her beloved country.

When the Taliban closed all the girls' schools in Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi set up new schools, in secret, educating thousands of women and men. In this fierce, funny talk, she tells the jaw-dropping story of two times when she was threatened to stop teaching -- and shares her vision for rebuilding her beloved country.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Sakena Yacoobi

Education activist

See speaker profile

At the Afghan Institute of Learning, Sakena Yacoobi provides teacher training to Afghan women, supporting education for girls and boys throughout the country.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.