In an interview with Afghan refugees who participated in the story-sharing workshop organized by APT and R3solute, we asked them about what it means to have to leave one’s country and seek refuge somewhere else and what is their vision for the future.
Sara Gawhary is from Balkh province of Afghanistan. She was a women’s rights activist and TEDx organizer in her hometown. Prior to leaving Afghanistan, Ms. Gawhary was working for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). She arrived in Germany in November 2021 with the support of the government of Germany.
Sakhirahman Azizi, from Kabul, and Sohaila Nabizada, from Samangan province of Afghanistan, both worked for a youth organization that promotes democracy, debate, and critical thinking. They were evacuated to the US in October 2021. Mr. Sakhi is currently living in Houston, Texas and Sohaila has resettled in Vermont.
These three people had to evacuate from Afghanistan because of threats to their lives.
“Leaving Afghanistan was not easy for me. It was not only geography that I could forget about. My memories—from childhood to study days and making friends—all are tied together.” Sara Gawhary
After the Taliban’s forceful takeover of power in August 2021, Afghanistan was no longer a safe place for young men and women like, Sakhi, Sohaila and Sara who worked for democracy, women’s rights, and a free society –values that the Taliban are against.
Fear of being assassinated or abducted forced them to leave Afghanistan and seek refuge in third countries such as the United States and Europe.
Sohaila Naebzada shared with us how the situation forced her to leave her city, family, and friends just to be safe: “I am from Samangan, a city in the northern part of Afghanistan where you do not see a lot of women activists and their active participation in society. I was among a few women that were leading change in my society, and everyone knew about the work that I was doing. When the Taliban captured our city, they started searching houses to find people who worked with the organization that promotes democracy and free society and they were looking for me. They knew where I worked and the type of work I was doing.”
Sara has a similarly tragic story. She told us: “When the collapse happened, we had to leave our city, Mazar, and find shelter in Kabul. In Kabul, now under the Taliban, the situation was only getting worse. We were hearing the news of house searches, and the disappearance of women activists, governmental officials, and civilian workers.”
Before an opportunity to escape the country, they had to live in hiding and in fear. For example, Sakhi shared that he found it very difficult to go underground, deactivate his social media, and maintain no connection with almost everyone that he knew.
Eventually, they found safety outside of Afghanistan. Life problems, however, just did not vanish when they arrived in a new place. They now had to deal with a different set of challenges. They had worked in Afghanistan and had built a life there, but here, they had to accept that they would start life from scratch.
Sara reflects that “there is a huge difference between life in Afghanistan and Germany. The culture and the ways of life are different. Once you come to a new country, you must adjust to all these changes, and it is not easy. It is not just a physical relocation. I have to now reshape my goals for life and keep my family and friendship connections in new ways that I still have not figured out. All of this requires a mental and emotional transition as well.”
Sohaila shared her experience in this manner: “I grew up in a big family and I never traveled alone. When the government of Afghanistan collapsed, I had to make a decision about whether to stay and wait for my destiny by the Taliban or leave my family and friends behind and make the journey very far from my home alone. I had to choose the latter. In the US, I was the only Afghan lady in town. I felt very lonely.”
Sakhi had a similar experience, one of loss, pain, and an unknown future at all the same time. He says, “The new environment is nothing like what I would have experienced under the Taliban rule, but I also cannot say it is all easy here. I just have to deal with other types of challenges. Everything is different here. I have been living in a culture shock since my arrival in the US. I left my country alone and my family remained in Afghanistan. Being away from loved ones is not easy– I am concerned about the safety of my family and friends under the Taliban rule.’’
Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT) and R3solute provided an opportunity for several Afghans who had to flee the country, to process their pain by sharing their feelings and hearing others with similar experiences.
They are learning that dealing with challenges means building a network of support. Healing starts when we know that we are not alone. In settings like the one APT and R3solute created, participants can ask questions from others and connect with each other at a deeper level.
While what they have experienced has left them traumatized, they have stood again and continued to work towards their dreams.
“I am currently self-learning language and supporting my fellow women in Germany. I have started an online book reading club for girls from Balkh University. I am also volunteering with a resettlement organization in Berlin to help with a program that’s for Afghan refugees,” shared Sara.
Similarly, Sakhi is continuing the work he was passionate about doing in Afghanistan: to support Afghan refugees in his community. And Sohaila is pursuing her dream to study for a master’s degree at Vermont University.