'Afghan women are not weak': Melbourne woman climbs Everest

River Ahmad, an Afghan refugee living in Melbourne, has achieved a monumental feat by becoming the first woman from her country to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Her climb, completed in May 2026, was not just a personal triumph over one of Earth's most formidable natural challenges, but a powerful statement aimed at inspiring women and girls in Afghanistan.

Ahmad's ascent carries profound significance at a time when women's rights and freedoms in Afghanistan are at their lowest in decades. She has spoken out against the severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban, particularly in her home region of Ghazni, where access to healthcare and education for women and girls has been blocked. Ahmad aims to demonstrate the resilience and capability of Afghan women, stating, "Afghan women are not weak."

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You can climb a struggle, you can climb depression, you can climb anything.

Her journey to Everest was fueled by a deep personal mission, shaped by significant life challenges. The suicide of her brother Ahmed months after the family's arrival in Australia in 2023, and a period of homelessness, served as powerful motivators. "You can climb a struggle, you can climb depression, you can climb anything," Ahmad told 774 ABC Melbourne, framing her Everest climb as a metaphor for overcoming adversity.

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Back home … women don't have any rights to even walk in the park. Afghan women are not weak. I have to prove we are resilient, as an Afghan woman refugee, and we can do more things.

Preparation for the demanding climb involved weeks of training in the Himalayas and rigorous physical conditioning in Australia, including daily long-distance runs and gym sessions. Ahmad also had to raise tens of thousands of dollars to fund the expedition. Her lifelong pursuit of education, which once involved a four-hour walk to school each way in Afghanistan, now extends to her advocacy for women's right to education and other freedoms.

"I have climbed all my life for education and I'm now climbing for education [again]," she said. Ahmad hopes her story will reach and inspire women who remain subjugated in her homeland, proving that Afghan women can achieve great things despite the oppressive conditions they face.

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I have climbed all my life for education and I'm now climbing for education [again].