Day 1,820 - Farida's Story

The School in the House

Farida's Story

Every morning in a small rented home in Pakistan, class begins. The teacher is Farida, and the students are her two sons. There is no school because the family cannot afford one, so she built one out of what she had, which is herself.

"I am a wife, a mother, and a person who believes in education and hard work," she said.

That belief has a long history for Farida. From September 2011 to May 2013, she worked as a finance assistant on U.S.-funded reconstruction projects in Bamyan Province. She took attendance for the work crews and prepared the financial records, the quiet mechanisms that let roads get built. It was one of the few professional paths open to a young Afghan woman, and she walked it in full view of everyone who doubted it belonged to her. 

"Every day I went to work made me proud. As a young Afghan woman, working outside the home required courage and determination."

On the day Kabul fell, August 15, 2021, she was at home with the children, and her husband was not.

He served in the security services of the former government and was posted in another province when it collapsed. For two days she could barely contact him. 

When he finally made it home, Farida made the decision that may have saved his life. She kept him inside, away from the airport, where a man with his record could be recognized in the crowds. The household held two exposures, her American-funded work and his government service, and she managed both from her kitchen while the country came apart.

The family completed the entire Special Immigrant Visa process. The interview is done, the medical examination is done, and every document is submitted, yet they still wait. The case remains pending, and with visa issuance for Afghans suspended, a completed case moves no faster than an unfinished one.

This month, it is the fear of deportation and money that will not stretch that weighs most heavily on her and her family.

"Today, people see only a delayed visa case," Farida said, "but not the years of uncertainty and hardship behind it."

Behind hers, two boys sit at a table each morning and learn their lessons from their mother, who is holding their education open by hand until a promised country takes the weight.

"We only want the opportunity to live safely and rebuild our lives."

She has been rebuilding things since 2011.

She is asking for the chance to finish.

Support allies like Farida as they wait: nooneleft.org/donation