Aisha Begins Treatment in the US Free of Charge

After agreeing to pose for the cover of Time magazine several weeks ago, the scars on Bibi Aisha’s face have become a haunting symbol of the ever-present abusive treatment of women in Afghanistan.

Not all scars can be healed, but the surgeons at the Grossman Burn Foundation are sure going to try.

In conjunction with Time, the American Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan and Women for Afghan Women (WAW), the Grossman Burn Foundation has brought Aisha to their facilities in Calabasas, Calif. for free reconstructive surgery.

Everything will be covered: transportation, living expenses, education and all medical costs, explained Stacy Tilliss, the Foundation’s executive director.

“Aisha has been getting settled with her host family, acclimating herself to her new surroundings, and meeting with her surgeon at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital,” said Tilliss.

The nineteen year-old has met with her surgeon twice already as they map out the surgery process, which will take place at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital over the next couple of months.

If you want to help with the surgery, click here.  And if you want to join the movement to prevent abuse of women in developing areas, here’s a list of highly-rated charities: UNIFEM, Women for Afghan Women, Woman Kind, Global Fund for Women.

Screengrab via photograph by Jodi Bieber/Institute for Time.