Interview with Zabihullah

Zabihullah was 12 years old when he left Afghanistan and settled in Peshawar in Pakistan as a refugee. Since　 then, he has tried to go to Europe twice. He said, “I studied up to the 10th class, but due to our poor economic condition, I was not able to continue my education. That’s why I left school and started working as a daily wage laborer.　When I found nothing interesting in my life, I borrowed money to leave Pakistan and go to Europe to have a good life in the future but failed.”

Zabihullah returned to his place of origin in Afghanistan in 2016. But due to lack of farming land, his family resettled in Treli Settlement to have access to work opportunity. He says, “Now I am selling fruits on a wheelbarrow. It is reasonable and I earn 250 to 500 Afghanis on the daily basis which is enough to feed my family of 7.” 

“After I returned to Afghanistan, we spent whatever we had on construction of a two-room shelter where I and my brother are living. Actually, the space was not enough, so we installed two tents as well.”
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Our life is getting normal and I hope for the better. We thought that the Afghan government would assist us on our return, but in fact, we just received 9,000 Afghanis. I’m so happy to have a water well, lack of which was one of the main problems we faced.”

“Since we settled here, we had been buying drinking water at 20 Afghanis per 25 liters. Then fortunately, I found a friend, Jamil, to whom I was familiar in Pakistan and who has a well about 800m far away from my home. While I’m  returning from work, I take my children to bring water from Jamil’s house.”

“I’m so thankful to JEN who gives me an opportunity to enhance my knowledge on well maintenance and I promise I will regularly maintain the well, contribute to fundraising and fund management for maintenance, keep sanitation of the well and its environs, maintain water quality and promote hygiene.”

“My neighbors have the same problem of lack of water. It’s really amazing while the well digging is not complete, children from surrounding houses come and ask, ‘when will the well complete? When can we get water? Should we pay for fetching water from this well?’ - It is all due to their happiness and they cannot hide it.”

[Zabihullah while talking about how they bring and store drinking water at home]





[Zabihullah while teaching his children and nephews under his tent. He says that he is optimistic about his children’s future]



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