(Rukhshana Media) – Every morning at first light, Manizha* picks up her medicine bag and heads out to villages in rural Afghanistan where, if it weren’t for her and her team, most women would not see a doctor from one year to the next.

The 29-year-old, whose real name we are withholding for her protection, visits her patients in their homes, going from house to house to deliver services they would otherwise not be able to access.

For many, confined to their homes because of Taliban restrictions, family or societal pressure or a mix of all three, her visits are a lifeline. As one of the few remaining female doctors working in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have stopped all higher education and most forms of paid employment for women, she performs a crucial role.