When a country is portrayed only through the prism of war, we come to see it as a state where only fighters reside, devoid of ordinary people. It becomes easier and easier to forget that there are people just like us, and people who have a different vision of the future: one without violence.

This project aims to counter the preponderant portrayal of Afghanistan as a site only of war; and to highlight the positive action taking place behind the scenes and the people who mobilize that action.

It hopes to bring some exposure to unknown civil society activists and to demonstrate the multiple nascent peacebuilding processes taking place: the reconstruction of the education sector, the birth of an independent media, legal reform efforts, the fight for women’s rights and more. These processes bolster formal peacebuilding processes, and are sourced by the individual agency of committed social justice advocates and activists. These activists are, behind their courage, ordinary people with extraordinary attitudes in the face of adversity. They work without fame or fortune, often unknown outside of their own communities. Their motivation is to see peace in Afghanistan, and to play a part in making that happen.

They are the unsung heroes of Afghanistan.