The news about Afghanistan is predominantly tragic and negative. Experts and media report about suffering and the brutality of the war, and they convey a sense of hopelessness and despair.

I am an Afghan and 6 years ago, I founded the Nai Qala Association to honour the vision of my father who left his isolated village in the centre of Afghanistan, where he was a shepherd, and took his family to town to ensure that his sons and daughters would go to school and study.

My engagement is based on the determination to take that vision a step further and enable proper education to take place in some of the most remote rural regions. Since 2007, my Association has built three schools and one clinic.

The years of war have dispossessed Afghanistan of its ability to formulate its own identity and thus to think its future and shape the common destiny of its people. Yet, I am convinced that the future of Afghanistan lies in Afghan hands. The solution to our current problems cannot and will not come from outside. While the solidarity and support from abroad will remain important, it is time for Afghans to confront their problems, to address their divisions and envisage home-grown solutions.

I hope that these projects will also contribute to a different image: an image of engagement, achievement and convey the fact that Afghans have the same hopes and aspirations as all other people in the world: we are in search of respect and a better future.

Taiba Rahim - Nai Qala