The story of Ameenullah Z.* is representative of the plight of all refugees who have had to leave their homes. Ameenullah Z lived with his family on the outskirts of Kunduz, a city in northern Afghanistan. Before the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in August 2021, his life was peaceful. He worked as a day labourer and lived together with his eight children and mother.

Today, Kunduz is considered a Taliban stronghold. “We did not expect the Taliban to come to power so quickly. We thought the time of extremism was over. But suddenly we found ourselves under the same regime we thought defeated two decades earlier, in 2002.” With the takeover, the rules began to change for the residents of Kunduz. Shops closed, public life came to a standstill, there was no work to be found. “We, the people of Afghanistan, have become sandwiches in this war. We are constantly on the move, because in the past decades there has been no peace and no sustainability in Afghanistan,” says the 52-year-old. Ameenullah Z. decided to leave the city. A friend of his family told him that he would flee to Pakistan. Ameenullah Z. did the same. “We locked our house, took nothing with us, and left.” Together with other fugitives, they travelled in a truck for three days to the border with Pakistan. They spent days looking for another ride to get to Peshawar because they had heard that many Afghans lived there.

Today, Ameenullah Z. lives with a host family in a mud house. They rely on local charities. They are all worried about the future. “Before, the authorities had a relaxed attitude towards the refugees. Now we live in a constant state of fear and uncertainty, with no hope of returning home soon,” he says.

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Women are the worst victims in any emergency or disaster situation. They are at greater risk of exploitation, abuse, harassment and other dangers. They have to wear veils and are dependent on men for everything. However, there are some brave women who would take anything for the sake of their children and families. Dil Jan F.* is one such woman. No suffering that has fallen on her has been able to stop her so far.

Dil Jan F. comes from Logar province near Kabul, Afghanistan. She has eight children, three daughters and five sons, her husband died a few years ago. “We lived peacefully, owned a small piece of land where we grew fruit and other crops for our own use,” the 62-year-old says. When the crisis in Afghanistan reached its sad peak in 2021, the security situation became unpredictable. There was chaos everywhere and, as Logar province is close to Kabul, there was concern and fear. Markets were closed and the economic outlook became bleak. The very idea of leaving her homeland frightened her. “How could I leave my home, my country, my people?” she asked herself. But when she realised that everyone around her was talking about leaving Afghanistan, she too decided to leave. In February 2022, she and her children joined a group of people heading towards the border areas near Peshawar. “Along the way, there was a constant fear that the Taliban would find us and stop us from leaving the country.”

After a long and dangerous journey that took many days, they reached their Peshawar. They arrived in the Nasir Bagh area, where they made makeshift arrangements in the shanty town with the help of old cloths. They have no luggage with them. The Dil Jan F. family’s survival depends entirely on food and other items provided by local charities and other relatives. Their older son is now trying to find work in the local fruit market to earn a living, but they live in a constant state of fear and uncertainty in this foreign land.

*name changed