Story
Inside cage: Logar girl speaks out against social norms
I speak from my experience, says the 21-year-old Khatmin who lives in Logar, a province located 56-kilometers to south of Kabul. My childhood, she says, was filled with dreams and fairy tales. The childish little dreams of mine captivated my mind and soul and grew up. They were following me…
Read More »Children of intermarriage can’t see world around them
“To see the faces of my parents is my only dream,” says the 15-year-old Reza, who was born into parents with intermarriage background. The colorful human life on blue planet seems dark to Reza. All he knows about world of colors is names. Perhaps it could be different for him…
Read More »Looking back to a painful recollection
On the first death anniversary of her husband, Sara, a mother of two daughters, was forced to leave her home. Upon the death of her husband, her brother-in-law, Norullah, who had taken responsibility to receive a tiny-government paid compensation and look after his brother’s daughters and widow, spent the amount…
Read More »A forgotten case; Zurmat victim family determined to seek justice
With so many unanswered questions in his mind, Salehkhel, 45, runs to government offices and human rights watches to find out why and on whose command six members of his family were killed in a night raid. Based on his account, which is confirmed by local authorities, operatives of the…
Read More »Caught between rock and hard place, young Afghans sell kidneys
“I have thought about it for three months; losing one of my kidneys, I can no longer do heavy works, but instead, I will save a human life. I have no option but to sell my kidney in return for a specific amount,” said the 28-year-old Sami. When he found…
Read More »A selfless philanthropist; Beaurecueil’s memory reflects in minds of adopted children
“Father Serge had a kind heart. [He loved] to help children-in-need. He would take them to his home and raise them up,” says Alireza who was raised and fed by Serge de Beaurecueil, a French philanthropist who dedicated his life to raise and feed Afghan children who had lost their…
Read More »Wasted children’s lives: the victims of Swedish development aid to Afghanistan
It was a cool March night of 2018 in Sweden but the atmosphere in Farzad’s room (pseudonym) was pensive and cold. The clock was ticking 10 PM. Farzad was preoccupied with pensive thought. His thought was wrapped in a deep apprehension. After a few minutes, he found himself on the…
Read More »Kabul University attack sparks campaign against normalization of tragedies
“Watching bodies of the victims and collecting body parts of humans have become normalized [actions] in Afghanistan. I think years-long efforts have been made to create this situation,” says Asiya, who says she fight against normalization of tragedies. “Photos of the dismembered victims must not be shared [on social media].…
Read More »Sohaila’s death; a lasting tragedy of Kabul university attack
Sohaila’s mother either mourn or gets fainted since a week ago when she was informed of her young daughter’s death in the complex attack on Kabul University. Sohaila’s father is in the same condition and is unable to talk. Portraits of the university student were hanging on walls inside the…
Read More »I will not go back to national army
“On my way to Kabul from Kandahar, our bus was stopped by the Taliban in Zabul. They got up into the car, stopped by my seat, asked where I came from. Kandahar, I replied. The militant asked me to hand over my phone to him. I had [deleted all photos…
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