Young Afghan leader shares his hopes for the country

(Ahmad Shakib Mohsenyar attending the award ceremony, pictured fourth from the left.)

TMP – 19/04/2017

Ahmad Shakib Mohsenyar a 24-year-old award-winning Afghan  is committed to make a successful life in his home country.  Shakib, , was presented with an Emerging Young Leader Award by the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2016, after completing a one-month exchange programme.

Shakib is hopeful and optimistic about the future of Afghanistan. He says that he hasn’t even considered migrating to Europe or the USA or Canada.

“When the migration out-flows began in late 2014, I went to the USA to participate in an exchange programme. Most of my friends, and even my family members, insisted that I stay in the US or move to Canada. However, unlike four of my other friends I came back to serve the war-torn people of my community in Afghanistan,” Shakib says.

Since then, Shakib has been to the US three more times as well as twice to Europe. He insists that a migrant cannot find similar opportunities or dignity in European countries compared to Afghanistan.

Apart from being a government employee Shakib runs a social media campaign called “Afghanistan Needs You” to promote patriotism in the community.

“War has been a constant presence in our country, but we need to change that. Through this campaign, we try to change the mentality of our compatriots that Afghanistan really needs them,” Shakib Mohsenyar explains.

According to figures from the Afghanistan Central Statistics Organization, more than 9.1 million students, including 3.6 million girls, attended school in 2015. Similarly, more than 300,000 students are enrolled at universities across the country, including 65,000 female students. This represents the next generation of the Afghanistan’s inspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.