Gorse in the desert

Stories

The only hope for the future. The story of Khalid

Khalid is a 7 year old boy. He has two brothers and a sister. His mother is a housewife, his father a police officer. They had a prosperous and happy life, a normal life. Then a bomb hit the very street where Khalid's father was on patrol. The man died, and a different life began for his family (…)

A new beginning. Nisar's story

Nisar is twelve years old and has been living in the Kapisa orphanage for a year and a half now. His father died 9 years ago, 2 years ago, due to a serious illness, he also lost his mother. The older sister, aged 20, got married and moved to Iran. When their mother died, Nisar and his 13-year-old sister Behista moved in with their uncle, the only remaining relative (...)

A life away from preoccupation and poverty. The story of Rustam

Rustam is 9 years old and his younger brother, Omer, is 7. They both lived with their parents until August 2021. However, after the enforcement of the Taliban regime, their father became a drug addict and left his family to never come back again. To this day, they are unaware of his location. They do not even know whether he is still alive or not (...)

Always fight for life. The story of M. and her mother N.

When the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, those who could, tried to reach the airport and flee the country on the first evacuation flight available. N. is a well-educated woman, she used to work in the international field and, at that time, she was about to give birth to a daughter. Had they remained in Afghanistan, their survival would have been at risk (...)

Zanshin Tech: the martial art teaching people how to defend themselves from digital threats

Zanshin Tech is a digital martial art. It teaches young people and adults techniques and strategies to protect themselves from any kind of digital aggression, such as: cyberbullying, scams, phishing, online grooming, and others. Zanshin Tech techniques are taught through a series of active learning activities carried out in-person or online. In Zanshin Tech we teach people how to become "digital warriors": competent, respectful and always ready to help others in their time of need (...)

Mohammadullah's story. The right to dream

Mohammadullah was born in the Wardak province, south of the capital. He is ethnically Pashtun. In 1992, he lost the use of his legs due to a splinter wound in his back. He only learnt how to read and write because schools were inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. To help his family, he fixed bicycles - mostly punctures - and spent time in his father's second-hand shop. In reality, he dreamt to be an entrepreneur and own a real shop where he could meet people, and feel like he was part of the world (...)

Sports and Community: Carla's family meets Sport4Equality

Carla is a mother of four. All of her children are currently participating in the project Sport4Equality. Carla is a single parent and managing four children is very challenging for her, both physically and mentally. Her children suffer from dyslexia and have struggled to stay on track since the beginning of high school. Carla never had the opportunity to practice any sport in her country. Nevertheless, she did not allow her children to give up sports activities (...)

Sports and Parenthood. Interview with Margherita, psychologist of the Sport4Equality project

Margherita is a psychologist. Within tje Sport4Equality project she is responsible for the management of the parenting support program and psychological counselling for parents. Margherita interacts with parents in a series of workshops dedicated to preadolescence and adolescence. Communication, affectivity and relationship with peers are the main topics being discussed (...)

A hope to dream. Mirwais's story.

Twelve-year-old Mirwais has been in the Kapisa orphanage for several years. His father was killed while fighting against the Taliban. A year later, his mother also died of an illness, which Mirwais called "yellow-eye disease", probably a form of hepatitis. This is how he described his family situation, "My father died in the war and my mother from illness. So, I'm fatherless and motherless" (...)