“When I was 8 years old, girls from my province weren’t allowed to go to school. I was this little shepherd girl. I would run after sheep and cows, hiking with them in the mountains. It brought me closer to nature, and it was the first time I ever guided someone,” says 22-year-old Fatima Haidari, who is believed to be the first female tour guide in Afghanistan.
As a guide for Untamed Borders, a company that specialises in trips to less-trodden parts of the world, Haidari has hosted eight foreign travel groups since the beginning of 2020. While her work has been affected by the pandemic, she has received guests as recently as March and April, and hopes to welcome another group soon.
It was only last year that Haidari learnt that being a tour guide was an actual job.
“I didn’t know it was a profession. I didn’t know an Afghan woman like myself could do it,” she says, speaking over the phone from her home in Herat, Afghanistan, 822 km from the capital Kabul.
“Now I’m guiding foreign travellers across my province, showing them heritage sites and educating them about our history. I tell them about local food, and we eat together, sharing our stories.”
Haidari is the youngest daughter in a family of seven children. She was born in a village in Afghanistan's Ghor province, one of the country’s poorest regions, prone to Taliban attacks. Here, girls have little access to education. According to Unicef, about 3.7 million children don’t go to school in Afghanistan, and 60 per cent of them are girls. While over 55 per cent of Afghan men are literate, the female literacy rate is only 29.81 per cent, one of the lowest in the world.
Haidari tells me it was forbidden for most girls to go to school in her community, as in many parts of Afghanistan. But she forced her family to allow her, and would practice writing on sand, while learning basic language skills.
Later, her family moved to Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city.
As I had expected, it was difficult and scary at first, because women don't normally step out without being accompanied by a man in Afghanistan
“[In Herat], I saw people my age going to school. They wore beautiful uniforms. I wanted to wear them. I wanted to go to school like them,” she says.
But Haidari’s parents couldn’t afford her education. And her father, who owned a small shop in the town, couldn’t understand the value of education.
“No one in my family knows how to read or write. They never went to school. My two [elder] sisters were married off before they turned 15. My parents found men for me, but I refused and insisted that I didn't want to get married,” she tells me. “I didn’t want to live like my sisters. I wanted to go to school.”
When she couldn’t find the money for school, she started teaching herself at home, while running to a nearby hill with her father’s old radio to tune into English news. Later, she started making crafts to pay school fees.
“My mother took them to local shops in the town and sold them for me,” she says, smiling fondly, and thanking her mother for supporting her.
With the income she made from her crafts, Haidari was able to join school, and continue her education in an English-medium institute in Herat run by a foreign non-profit. She then passed the entrance exam at Herat University to pursue a degree in journalism and mass communication, where she's now studying.
Meanwhile, she opened a Facebook account and searched for information about Afghanistan. While there was news about terror and conflict, there was nothing about the sights, places and people she grew up seeing. Haidari made Facebook her blog, writing a paragraph each day about the places around her. Soon, people from across the world were reading her posts and becoming her online friends.
Early last year, one of her American Facebook friends reached out to her.
“He was visiting Herat, and asked me if I could show them around,” she says. “I thought, why not?”
Impressed by how Haidari guided them, her knowledge and communication skills, the American traveller recommended her to Untamed Borders.
As founder of Untamed Borders, one of the few travel companies organising tours to Afghanistan, James Willcox believes the company has a special responsibility to set the right tone for tourism.
“One of the ways to do so is by ensuring we employ as diverse a range of people as possible, including women," he says. "We want to offer equal opportunity, training and employment to women, to inspire and pave the way for future generations.
“Working as a tour guide not only provides financial independence but also language and leadership skills too," adds Willcox, who decided to employ Haidari.
But Haidari soon faced a series of challenges at Untamed Borders.
“My father told me that it’s dangerous for women to work and I should get married like my sisters,” she says. “When I guide foreigners, some people would tell me that I should be ashamed for walking with unknown men.”
Haidari isn’t alone. For many women in Afghanistan, movement and access to public spaces is limited. While World Bank data shows that only 22 per cent of Afghan women participate in the labour force, Kanika Gupta, a multimedia journalist based in Delhi who has travelled solo in Afghanistan, says that on most occasions, she was the only woman in a sea of men.
“As I had expected, it was difficult and scary at first, because women don't normally step out without being accompanied by a man in Afghanistan,” she says.
Gupta says that while it’s challenging to travel in Afghanistan, the country has so much to offer.
“Natural landscapes and the hospitality of the people will completely change the way you look at this country,” she says. “But I do not recommend travelling here unless you know locals who can help you get by. I feel that women travellers [like myself] would feel very comfortable to do local sightseeing with another woman [like Haidari].”
Despite the hurdles she faces, Haidari says that she has learnt to only focus on achieving her dreams: “I feel empowered now. I love guiding tourists. I love listening to their stories, learning about their cultures and different places in the world.”
Apart from being a tour guide, Haidari hosts a radio show, where she interviews remarkable Afghani women, while also running a volunteer teacher-group with 10 other women to educate young girls.
“When I teach them, I talk to them about my experience as a tour guide. They tell me I give them hope,” she says, explaining how 41 girls recently graduated from their class. “They have big dreams. All of them are doing something. They are working towards achieving their dreams.”
While Haidari couldn’t be happier following a career many Afghan women couldn’t do, she doesn't want to be the last female tour guide from Afghanistan.
“It’s sad that there’s only one female tour guide. Afghan girls are burning the flames of their dreams. I want to return to my native province Ghor and start an institution to train women to become tour guides,” she says.
Before we end our conversation, I ask her if she has other dreams.
“Travelling to Tibet,” she says with a laughs. “I want to lead adventure tours, skateboard and cycle in the Bamiyan,” she tells me, explaining that in Herat women aren’t allowed to run, exercise or ride bicycles.
“I hope that there comes a day Afghan girls aren’t limited to follow their passions, that their dreams aren’t just dreams anymore and they are allowed to chase them.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGrowdash%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESean%20Trevaskis%20and%20Enver%20Sorkun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERestaurant%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20Judah%20VC%2C%20TPN%20Investments%20and%20angel%20investors%2C%20including%20former%20Talabat%20chief%20executive%20Abdulhamid%20Alomar%2C%20and%20entrepreneur%20Zeid%20Husban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
