In the film "Ascend", Patagonia tells the story of five Afghan women who have taken refuge in North Carolina.
Since August 15, 2021, the Taliban have taken over the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul. Life is no longer the same for men and women who are subject to the discriminatory laws of the Taliban, who impose an ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam that excludes women from school and public spaces. In this context, practicing sports is obviously synonymous with taking immense risks for women who dare to defy the prohibitions.
For several years, the NGO Ascend has been helping Afghan women to emancipate themselves by teaching them to climb in the mountains of their country. When the Taliban arrived, Ascend became the only chance for these women to escape a regime that would restrict their freedoms and their future. Many of them were thus able to leave the country and take advantage of this non-profit organization's network of volunteer hosts. For their part, Merryn Venugopal and Michelle Pellette, two members of Yosemite Search and Rescue, also offered their help in welcoming fellow climbers in need.
They invited these Afghan expatriate women to spend a week in Yosemite, where they were able to find safety and comfort in the climbing community. The short film "Ascend" looks back on these encounters and the lives of these Afghan women. Unveiled by Patagonia, this 19-minute production follows five Afghan refugee women in North Carolina and highlights the work of the NGO Ascend, which has evolved from a local support role for Afghan women to an organization that evacuates and reintegrates refugee women into women's sporting communities. Since its creation, 134 members of the organization have been evacuated from Afghanistan to guarantee their safety, far from war and repression.