Patagonia lancia Ascend, the film about 5 Afghan women who go climbing and documents the work of Ascend, an organization that takes care of women in Afghanistan through climbing.
Ascend was founded in 2014 in Afghanistan by Marina LeGree, with the desire to create opportunities for girls to find their strength and self-confidence through sports.
Ascend, the film about 5 Afghan women who find strength thanks to climbing
“Growing up in a male dominated society, you are always reminded that you are weak. This is why I started climbing. To prove to myself that I am strong, mentally and physically,” says Mina Bakhshi, one of the women who joined Ascend.
“We went from being an organization that empowered girls in Afghanistan to one that evacuated and resettled refugees,” says Marina LeGree. “Girls who believe they can go their own way, that they can make their own choices – all of that was taken away from us in just one day.”
Read also
What is Ascend about?
Five women from Ascend relocated to North Carolina, where they put down roots and tried to find a new home through climbing. Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) climbers Merryn Venugopal and Michelle Pellette have bonded with the group, to introduce him to the challenges of climbing in Yosemite.
“Ascend’s goal is to empowering women through leadership and climbing”, explains Alison Kaplan, Climbing Ranger of Yosemite National Park. “It seems that many of the women who have been part of this community have shared a desire to help other women and to bring even more of them into the climbing community”.
Ascend is a story about women’s empowerment and climbing as a common thread of communities.
Advertising