KABUL,
Afghanistan — As a young girl, Zahra became consumed with the idea of a
life of learning, seizing on every new opportunity that trickled to her
isolated town in the western Afghan province of Ghor.
In
a school drama, she performed the role of Parisa, a young girl barred
from attending school by her conservative family. When an educational
circus traveled through about three years ago, she was one of the
enthusiastic participants, selected as one of three students among 70 to
take her new juggling act to Kabul.