Now 29, Shokoufeh and her sisters, Maryam, 23, and Mandana, 20, have built a life in the city of Shiraz defined by resilience and a passion for Kyokushin karate. View image in fullscreen Shokoufeh and her father look at old pictures from their life in Afghanistan“Our father was the only one who believed in us from the very beginning. Shokoufeh describes it as “a place where we teach more than martial arts; we teach courage, resilience and self-belief”. “Even though we haven’t lived in Afghanistan,” Shokoufeh says, “our parents ensure that Afghan culture is alive in our home. “With the Taliban in power, Afghanistan has become unsafe and even dangerous for girls like me and my sisters,” Shokoufeh says.