Our proudest achievement is seeing our program graduates go on to transform their lives through education; nearly all Ascend graduates have gone on to university studies. Most of them come from families where their parents are not literate, so these girls are breaking barriers in a profound way. We use mountain climbing as a way to build confidence and strength. Some of our girls have accomplished
significant climbing feats. Hanifa Yousoufi, part of our program from 2016-2019, is the first Afghan woman to have climbed Mt Noshaq (24,580' or 7,492 meters). Ascend is leading the way by introducing the sport of rock climbing to Afghans. Several of our team members are on track to become certified Single Pitch Instructors in 2020. They will be Afghanistan's first. The program uses mountain climbing as a vehicle to cultivate unity and a sense of shared achievement among Afghan women of different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic groups. Team members will be challenged to overcome stereotypes and biases and work together to achieve a difficult but tangible goal. The unique attributes of mountain climbing make it an ideal sport for developing strong teams; remote settings far from the distractions of everyday life allow us to create a secure “container” in which team members can bond with one another. The nature of mountaineering requires discipline and precision, and each member of the group relies on the others for her safety. This environment fosters a camaraderie rarely experienced in a culture where women have little opportunity to build relations with one other outside of the family structure, or beyond their own socio-economic or ethnic background. Training includes a blend of physical (fitness and technical) training along with formal instruction in conflict resolution, leadership, and psychology. The program inspires other Afghans with an example of unity and athletic achievement at a time of national crisis and widespread anxiety about the future. Such a straightforward, universally-understood achievement as reaching a mountain peak pushes the bounds of belief in what Afghan women are capable of doing and sets an example for young people in Afghanistan and beyond.
