07/04/2002

Forty-three year old Zohra waited patiently in a sweltering tent while her husband loaded the family’s meager possessions into the bus that would carry them on the final leg of their journey from Iran—from Herat in Western Afghanistan to their home in Kabul. Her deeply lined face lit up with excitement when asked why she was returning to Afghanistan after living for four years in Iran. The mother of eight broke into a smile when she explained, “It is my country and I love it here. I want my children to know their country.”

Four years ago Zohra was living in a Hazara neighborhood in Kabul when the Taliban took her husband to prison. The Taliban’s human rights abuses against members of the Hazara ethnic group, adherents of the Shia sect of Islam, were particularly brutal. When her husband managed to escape from prison, the family fled to Iran. Her grown daughter remained in Kabul with her husband’s family, and Zohra had not heard from her since fleeing to Iran. Nervously wringing her hands, she explained “Every day I think about her and my grandchildren. They were babies when we left. I don’t know if they will recognize me. I am afraid that they are dead. This is my biggest worry. The Taliban killed many Hazaras. But every day I pray to God, and I keep hope in my heart that they will be there, smiling and happy, to greet us when we finally arrive back to our city.”

She went on to describe her life as a refugee in Iran. “Life was a little difficult in Iran. My husband is a baker. He was often jobless, but sometimes he could find work here and there in restaurants. The government of Iran did not give us registration cards, so my children could not go to school.” She said that she had no idea what she would find in Kabul. She just wanted to make sure that there is peace. She explained, “We want the world to help us make Afghanistan a safe country. We don’t just want food and shelter. We are desperate for peace.” Zohra explained that the first thing she would do when she arrived in Kabul, after finding her daughter, would be to enroll all of her children in school. She worries about the future of her children, and school is the most important activity for them.

The RI team met Zohra 10 days later in Kabul. Having arrived five days before, she was transformed. Her daughter and all of her grandchildren were alive, and they had managed to find each other. With a beaming face she told us, “When I came back here I was very, very, very happy. I could not stop crying.” Her daughter explained, with tears in her eyes, “Every day is a celebration here. I am so happy to see them. I thought this day would never arrive.”

Zohra and her family arrived in Kabul on a Monday evening, and on Tuesday morning she went with all her children to school to register them. When they got to the school, the principal explained that there was no space in the school. The principal allowed her to register one of her daughters. With over 400,000 people returning to Kabul, the almost non-existent infrastructure in the city is clearly overwhelmed and is unable to meet the needs of returnees, and this is most clearly seen in the crowded schools and clinics.

After being in Kabul for five days, Zohra was beginning the process of rebuilding her life and the lives of her family. Although she is happy to be back in Afghanistan, she faces an uncertain future. Her biggest concern was shelter. With no house of her own and no money to pay the ever-increasing rents in Kabul, she knows she will have to stay with her daughter for quite some time. There are currently 20 people living in one room. Her husband had not yet found a job, although he began his job search the day after they arrived and had spent each day wandering through Kabul looking for work. Despite his lack of success so far, he is hopeful that he will find work very soon. In the meantime, while striving to create a normal life, Zohra and her family continue to celebrate each day.