![Photo Credit: NPR](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/06/08/nelson-mountain-girls-expedition-9edit_custom-2def24ee30160dc6776a1ac1e578958a6c05eb2e-s800-c85.jpg)
Virginia-based NGO Ascend is leading an effort to enable a dozen Afghan female mountain climbers to summit the tallest mountain in the country, the 24,580-foot Mt. Noshaq. And along the way, these Afghan women are learning strength, ingenuity, and determination – and that’s before they even start climbing!