The First Afghan Eagle Scout: Carrying the Legacy of Afghan Scouts

By Fifi

Right now, I’m finishing my Eagle Scout project — a project that will help me become the first Afghan Eagle Scout in history. It feels crazy to say that. I’ve been in Scouts almost my entire life, but when I came to the U.S., I had to start from the bottom. Many people in the U.S. are not aware that there was a Scouts organization in Afghanistan. No one knew the kind of work we did, or what we lost when the Taliban came back. I want my project to change that.

In Kabul, there were only a few Scout troops so even though I was really young, I worked hard and became well-known amonst the troops. I was a senior patrol leader, and I cared deeply about education — a lot of my work consisted of collecting supplies like chalkboards, chairs, pencils, and books to donate to underpriviledged schools. One of my projects that I was proudest of was running a community book drive where we collected thousands of books. We got them into high schools and elementary schools, and I really believed we were building something for the future.

That was one of the last things I did with Scouts before everything changed.

When the Taliban took over again, it was entirely different from life as I'd known it. Suddenly, the streets felt unsafe. People I knew and my own family were being questioned, threatened, having their homes searched. We had to burn our Scout uniforms and get rid of any evidence that would associate us with America...we were glad for this hindsight when the Taliban searched our house and found nothing. I got threats from Taliban soldiers just while walking down the street; it got so bad that I stopped leaving the house.

My parents lost their jobs — my dad had worked with a Turkish company that had to cut business with Afghanistan and after repeated threats my mom stopped working at the pharmacy. My relatives who worked in the government had to flee to neighboring countries. Many still haven’t been able to go back. Taliban soldiers searched our house. They didn’t find anything, but it didn’t stop the fear. The Taliban even tried to recruit my older brother as a soldier, but by then he had already escaped to Pakistan...and a few months later, I did too.

Coming to the U.S. was overwhelming — but I could go to school again. Although as I tried to build a normal life again, I felt something was missing, and I realized pretty quickly it was Scouts. It was something I had always been a part of and I wanted to join again.

Eventually, I joined Troop 39 in Chapel Hill — it’s one of the oldest and largest Scout troops in the country. I was so excited, but I was soon presented with a new challenge. Back in Afghanistan, our Scouts weren’t based on the U.S. rank system. There were no badges or formal structures, so when I joined Troop 39, I had to start all over. I had just two years before turning 18, and I was determined to earn Eagle rank before then — even though it usually takes three or four years. I worked through the ranks as fast as I could. Camping, merit badges, service hours, leadership positions. I eventually became a patrol leader, just like in Kabul.

And now, I’m working on the final piece: my Eagle project.

I knew I wanted to do something that honored my story and the stories of the students like me. I want to give a voice to the Afghan girls who were Scouts like me — some are still stuck in Pakistan, some who made it to Canada or the U.S., and some whose stories never got told. So I’m interviewing them. I want to create a journal that documents what girls’ Scouting looked like in Afghanistan — the projects we led, the lives we changed, and what we lost when it was all taken.

I’ve already started interviews with a few former Scouts — some are still waiting on their visas. A journalism class at Elon University is partnering with me to help design the journal and publish it in their library. I wanted the stories to be shared in the Scout’s own voices — not summarized, not filtered. I picked an interview style on purpose because I believe every girl deserves to explain her story her own way.

Most people in the U.S. have no idea there were even Scouts in Afghanistan. But there were.  The Taliban erased a lot of what we built — schools are shut down, girls aren't allowed to study past sixth grade, female teachers lost their jobs, and anyone affiliated with American organizations was targeted. They saw Scouts as part of that, and so the program collapsed.

And I want people to know about us.

Even when I age out of Scouts, I know I’ll stay involved. I want to help younger girls — find their voice through service, just like I did.

If you’re reading this, thank you. And if you want to support the project, I’d be so grateful. It’s not just about earning a badge — it’s about making sure our stories don’t disappear. Because without support from people like you, none of this would be possible.

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