The family of Fereshta Nawruzi, a victim of the horrific Kaaj educational center suicide bombing last year, has established the Shahid Fereshta Nawruzi Library in her honor and those who died in the attack.
The library is part of the school Fereshta attended in the Jaghuri district of Ghazni, and holds approximately 4,500 volumes of books. For her family, it provides a place for education and empowerment and is a symbol of hope and resilience for future generations.
Yunus Nawruzi, Fereshta’s 44-year-old father, told Rukhshana Media that Fereshta was his eldest daughter. Before her death in the Kaaj incident, she had moved to Kabul two years prior to prepare for her entrance exam. The library’s creation is a testament to Fereshta’s legacy and the many lives lost in the attack. He explained the family’s motivation behind creating the library: “That’s why we built a library at Baba school, so that other girls can get motivated and their spirits are not killed, and they study all the lessons with interest.”
Fereshta was one of the more than 50 students killed and dozens wounded in the suicide attack at the Kaaj educational center on Friday, September 30, 2022. It took place during a mock university entrance exam students were preparing for. Most of the victims were female students from West Kabul.
Her father recalled Fereshta’s dedication to her education and hard work. “Fereshta sometimes joked with me saying, ‘My dear dad, you work now, but when I become a doctor, I will compensate you’,” Mr Nawruzi said.
Fereshta’s school is a 45-minute walk from her home, but he said she never complained about the distance, nor about the hot or cold weather. Her father noted that she would go to the tuition center even during snowy, cold winter days, with big dreams for what her future held.
Fereshta’s family wanted to honor her memory by creating something long-lasting. It is also poignant as a symbol of the faith Fereshta put in her education. Her family hopes it will support by girls like her. According to Mr Nawruzi, women and girls are the backbone of a society, and without them thriving, progress cannot be achieved.
Mohammad Aref Joya, Fereshta’s uncle and one of the individuals actively involved in collecting and purchasing books for the library, mentioned that the decision to create a library in Fereshta’s name was made during a meeting with school teachers and Fereshta’s family. They decided that a library named Fereshta Nawruzi should be established in the school to encourage teaching and studying.
Mr Joya said that Fereshta’s family and the school have embraced the project, with the school dedicating two rooms to house the library. “We also ordered the shelves of the library from Kabul, and after six months of efforts, 4,500 volumes of books were collected for the library,” he said.
Since the library’s inception, more than one thousand volumes have been borrowed by students for reading and then returned, Mr Joya said.
Similar memorials have been constructed in other provinces to commemorate those who are victims of suicide attacks in educational centers. In one such instance, a library was established next to the graves of Marzia and Hajar Mohammadi, two other victims of the Kaaj educational center attack.
