Freshta fled from civil war, becoming a refugee at the age of four. After the fall of the Taliban, she returned to Afghanistan. At the age of 12, she began her work on TV programs as a child reporter. While working, Freshta interviewed hundreds of children across Afghanistan. Through this experience, she developed a deep understanding of what it means to grow up as a child in a country affected by conflict and acute poverty.

Due to decades-long conflict and restrictions on education, Afghan schools generally do not encourage children to think critically or ask questions. As 93% of children cannot read a simple text by age 10, the country’s education system is characterized by deep learning poverty (World Bank, 2024). In 2018, based on her experience of reading to her triplet nieces, Freshta founded Charmaghz and established a mobile library program to help children exposed to violence overcome trauma and acquire basic academic skills. Since its launch in 2018, Charmaghz has had over a million visits by children in Kabul, which is unprecedented in the history of Afghanistan.

Freshta remains committed to creating innovative and safe learning opportunities for children and youth in Afghanistan, ensuring that education continues to reach those who need it most despite the challenging circumstances.