text: In Afghanistan, many girls are forbidden from riding bicycles - they are, however, allowed to ride skateboards. So when Australian skateboarder Oliver Percovich created Skateistan, a non-profit organization that aims to connect youth in Afghanistan with education through skateboarding, it shouldn't have been a surprise that 40 per cent of the program's students would be girls. In 2012, photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson decided to take pictures of these Middle Eastern skater girls, and her work was recently on display at a gallery in London. Scroll down for video . Tough girls: Photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson took pictures of young girls skateboarding in dresses and skirts in Kabul, Afghanistan . Finding time for fun: Most girls are not allowed to ride bikes in Afghanistan, but skateboarding isn't against the rules . According to Feature Shoot, when Mr. Percovich first brought the program to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2007, many of the locals had never even heard of skateboarding. In fact, Ms. Fulford-Dobson said she believes the reason skateboarding has been received so differently in Afghanistan than in other countries is precisely because it was new to the region. 'When skateboarding arrived in Afghanistan, it didn't have any preconceived images for them. They didn't know what it was,' she said, while adding that it was only accepted after it became clear that it was just 'a toy to have fun with'. Safety first: While the girls were conservatively dressed, they didn't forgo safety measures like wearing helmets and knee pads . Little ladies who skate: Ms. Fulford-Dobson said she was fascinated with just how immaculate one girl, left, was, considering how dusty the skateboard facilities were . This sport knows no gender: 40 per cent of Skateistan's students are female; the girls also have the option of joining a back-to-school program . Now, its the top sport for girls in the country, who are able to ride freely in dresses and other clothing that can be restrictive when playing other sports. When Ms. Fulford-Dobson visited the Skateistan facilities in 2012, she quickly noticed their confidence and the joy they took in learning. She took pictures of them with natural light, capturing them in dresses, pants, headscarves and sneakers as they happily played on skateboards. 'I captured about nine in total,' she told the BBC, recalling one girl whose father had initially told her she couldn't join the skateboarding program. He finally relented after she wouldn't stop begging him. Girls will be girls: Ms. Fulford-Dobson said she was struck by the girls' confidence and how happy they were to skateboard . Unconventional athletic gear: The style of dress required by girls can make it difficult to play other sports, but luckily it doesn’t tend to interfere with their skateboarding . 'I met so many impressive women and girls in Afghanistan: a teacher as tough and determined as any man; young Afghans in their early twenties who were volunteering at an orphanage and were passionate about being seen as strong and willing to fight for themselves, rather than as victims of circumstance; and girls who were being educated to be leaders in their communities and who were already thinking carefully about their own and their country’s future,'  Ms. Fulford-Dobson said. That education is a top priority for Skateistan, as many children in Kabul from low-income families are forced to drop out of school to earn money. Besides being taught to skateboard, the program's participants are also invited to join a free back-to-school program to help them get back on track with their education.
target: Photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson took pictures of the girls at the Skateistan facilities in Kabul .
  Australian Oliver Percovich created Skateistan, an NGO, to promote education through skateboarding; participants can also join a free back-to-school program .