Wind running through her hair and sun kissing her face, Zhala Saramst at the age of 17, decided to fulfill her dream and by riding her bike tries to introduce Afghanistan as a peace-loving country to the world.

By winding her way through cultural taboo and beating a new path to Afghan women’s equality, Zhala wants to raise her country’s flag in all across the world.

Being a teenage girl in Afghanistan means that the chance of getting a quality education is severely limited.

The 17-year old, Zhala is one of the Afghan female bike riders who rides her bike for hours daily to reach the mount victory.

In just a few short years, a group of brave girls have been taking to the pavement and to the cracked dirt roads to try to make a stand and Zhala was among one of them.

She met a group of bicycle riders three years ago, and now it has been one year that she professionally  passes hundreds kilometers of the roads every day.

The two keys that reach Zhala to success are her goal and confidence that persuade her to go forward than her fellows.

“I have had many achievements in domestic and international competitions; the south Asian Games, nominated for the Noble Prize and gaining the second position in France competitions are among my great achievements,” Zhala Sarmast said.

What is most impressive about her is that she plays guitar and with her guitar strings, she showcases the good and bad stories of her country.

The teenager Zhala labored for almost three years that become familiar to her guitar’s strings.

“I have achieved one of my biggest dreams that was the participation in the France competitions and now one of my greatest wish is that one day I can play guitar with the world’s greatest orchestras,” Zhala added.

Even before the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan, women were banned from riding bicycles. Though they’re no longer officially banned, women’s cycling is still frowned upon in the conservative country.

This comes as the Afghan girls are still heading out and going for a ride despite huge explosions and insecurity going on in the country that can never stop them.

Reported by Ahmad Farshad 

Edited by Muhammad Zakaria