A PFF Mentee is Safe and Free

Arzoo Means Hope

Arzoo Mansoor Jabari is a PFF Mentee who was targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan for her work on women’s empowerment through fashion. That’s right - she lived the PFF mission statement in her hometown of Kabul, and she touched the lives of dozens and dozens of women who believed in themselves as a result. We at Paper Fig were proud of her work, and we encouraged Arzoo to continue with all her strength.

Then the Taliban took over in 2021, and since then, Arzoo’s life has been completely upended. She hid in a basement with her children until she was finally able to escape from Afghanistan, and then she lived in limbo in Pakistan for years. It seemed like there was little hope for Arzoo, but PFF Founder Laurie DeJong refused to give up. She kept supporting her, and the PFF team did everything they could to find options in a world that seemed like there were none. And then, the miraculous happened.

Arzoo’s family of 6 was granted visas to Italy, and sponsorship by Italian families for a year. They have their own apartment in the beautiful town of Sorrento, where Arzoo has happily removed her hijab and routinely walks down the cobblestone streets whispering to herself “I am free.”