My 2 years in Afghanistan: ‘I will carry these moments in my heart forever’

Dahir Abdullahi has been working as Islamic Relief’s Communication and External Relations Manager in Afghanistan for a number of years. Now his time in that role is coming to an end, Dahir has penned a farewell to Afghanistan, reflecting on the last few years of his life working with vulnerable communities across the country.

My name is Dahir Abdullahi, and I’ve spent the past 2 years working in Afghanistan as the Communication and External Relations Manager for Islamic Relief. During this time, I’ve met and listened to the stories of many remarkable people who have shown incredible resilience in the face of hardship.

These individuals – resilient female entrepreneurs, returnees who have seen it all, hardworking farmers, grateful patients, and promising children – have deeply inspired me.

I’ve had the joy of traveling to 14 out of the 34 provinces with my colleague Ramin Sadat, our multimedia producer, who shares my passion for the work we do. We also happen to be the same age, although I look younger than him. He would disagree. Together, we’ve visited countless communities, and in each encounter, I’ve felt the warm hospitality of the Afghan people. They welcomed me with open arms, and I felt safer and more at home in the countryside than in the bustling cities.

A few encounters stand out in my memory, and they continue to humble me. The first was with a young girl named Fatima*. The 10-year-old, lives with her mother and four siblings in a hilly neighbourhood on the outskirts of Kabul. Her father abandoned the family after succumbing to drug addiction. As her mother talked about their struggles, tears streamed down her cheeks, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears of my own, hidden behind my sunglasses.

After the interview, Fatima followed her brother and shyly reached out to shake my hand – a blend of innocence and strength. That night, Fatima’s haunting eyes lingered in my dreams, stirring a deep sense of responsibility within me.

The next day, I returned to bring a small gift to help support her family, hoping to provide them with some comfort.

The second moment that touched my heart was with a 70-year-old grandfather named Khaikai in the Miama village of Paktika province. Islamic Relief had launched a solar-powered water project that transformed the lives of many families by providing them with clean water. This project spared women and girls from the arduous journey of navigating a narrow, rocky path to fetch water from open sources.

Khaikai, also the village leader, welcomed us and showed us how this project changed the villagers’ daily lives. As we were preparing to leave at 4pm, Khaikai insisted we stay for the night, a gesture of hospitality rooted in the Pashtun culture.

Unknown to us, Khaikai had even organised food, accommodation, and a ram to be slaughtered for us, ensuring our stay was memorable. It took my colleagues half an hour of discussion to explain to him why we needed to leave due to the organisation’s security policies, but eventually, he reluctantly agreed.

In our farewell, I gently held his chin, a gesture of respect in my culture, feeling grateful for his kindness.

These moments stay with me, inspiring me to do more. I will carry them in my heart forever, reminding me of the strength and hope that exist even in the most challenging circumstances.