In the days following the fall of Kabul, Batool Haidari found herself forced to make an agonizing decision, writes Corinne Redfern. Haidari, a psychologist and sex therapist working with women and the LGBTQI community, had safely escaped to Iran where her three children were already hiding, but her Ph.D. research remained in Kandahar, which had been under Taliban control since Aug. 12. Haidari’s thesis was her proudest achievement—the product of years of study. She decided to travel back to collect it. She got it, then stayed on to organize protests in Kabul against a regime more violent than she’d imagined. Eventually, she had to flee again, this time to Pakistan then Italy. From Rome, Haidari works tirelessly to find escape routes for others at risk, especially women activists and trans people; she also provides phone therapy to those experiencing depression. “As long as there are women activists trapped in Afghanistan, I cannot relax. At the moment, I spend all my time listening to their problems,” she says. “When they are free, I will also need to see a psychologist.” Read more about the Afghan women who are attempting to build new lives abroad at the link in our bio. Photographs by @fatimahhossaini for TIME