Olivia Elias

On Monday, the Social Action Va’adim and some Year 9 students convened with four refugees from Afghanistan as part of an interfaith and social awareness educational program. These representatives work with the Massoud Foundation, an organisation that aims to train young people to become youth ambassadors, help with their integration to Australia and empower them as representatives of Afghanistan.

During the lunch, we had the opportunity to listen to the refugees’ accounts of their migration to Sydney to escape the Taliban and the impact that it had on their lives. We were deeply moved by their stories, and are truly grateful for the chance to have met and conversed with them. It was interesting to find out their experience escaping Afghanistan through the border with Pakistan. Although their visas were supported by the Australian embassy on the Pakistani side of the border they found it difficult to cross it as the Taliban were controlling the Afghani borders very strictly. 

It was quite surprising to learn that Afghanistan is the only country run by terrorists and that girls are not allowed to leave their homes without their parents. This was particularly shocking as 60% of girls do not attend school in Afghanistan. This was especially shocking as our visitors explained that until recently, the resurgence of the Taliban to power in 2021, their lives looked very differently. One of the visitors even went to university and became a lawyer in Afghanistan. She now dreams of ever going back and being able to practice law. 

If we could meet again, it would be a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our bonds and talk about the differences and similarities in our lives. Australia and Afghanistan’s history has been closely linked in the past 20 years and it is important to acknowledge and learn from it.

Overall, it was a great and emotional experience to meet with the refugees, and their stories are truly inspirational. We are deeply thankful to them for visiting our school, and Ms Goldmann for organising such an inspiring experience.