© UNAMA/2010/Burgard
Young students at a community-based school supported by UNICEF and one of its non-governmental partners in Herat, Afghanistan.

By Farida Ayari

HERAT, Afghanistan, 11 August 2010 – The city of Herat is the setting for ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ – Khaled Hosseini’s powerful, best-selling novel about the harsh conditions of women in Afghanistan.

While life for many women in the country remains difficult, today Herat’s Gowarshad High School – named for the powerful Timurid queen who founded the city – is full of confident young girls who are well aware of their rights.