On March 18th, 2022 the Taliban came to my father`s hospital and asked to speak with him directly. He was the administrator of the hospital. They wanted confidential hospital documents and ended up kidnapping him for 2 days. They were also angry that my father had provided free medical care to victims of the Taliban.

The elders from the community came together with our family and gave the Taliban money and pleaded with them to release my father – which they did. Our father came home and told us what happened.

Our family moved to a rented house. We all went to get passports: my grandparents, parents, and siblings. We were unable to leave Afghanistan at that time because we did not have money and we gave all our money to the Taliban to release our father.

I restarted school at a private education center. But on September 30 2022 there was a bombing at the center.  I went under the chair – I couldn't hear anything – when I got out of the class I saw lots of people without clothes and covered in blood. The Taliban would not let us leave the building and they were shooting. We were crying. I found a place to hide and rested my head and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes I was at the hospital. After that I didn’t study or do anything, I was just at home. I cried a lot and slept. That is when my family and I decided that I should leave Afghanistan.

I made a long and complicated trip through Pakistan, America and Quebec before coming to Vancouver. My mom sold all of her jewelry to make it possible for me to come to Canada. I also worked at Tim Hortons. The Canadian government has also helped.

At the end of February 2023 my family moved homes again to a different part of Kabul – in a neighborhood that is mostly made of Pashtun and Tajik people so that they are not recognized because the Taliban are looking for my dad. He fled to Pakistan. In the meantime, the Taliban has confiscated our home and most of our possessions. 

A few weeks ago, the Taliban kidnapped my brother and demanded a ransom.  We paid it by going into debt. The next time they kidnap a family member, they may insist that they will not give them back until my father comes back to Afghanistan to be punished for helping the Taliban’s victims with medical support.

My mother and siblings now need to leave Afghanistan to get to Pakistan where they will be safe from the Taliban. This will also be their first step on their trip to Canada.