'I lost a piece of myself I will never be able to regain as a result of leaving Afghanistan'

Slough Refugee Support were invited to attend an event at Eton College and four boys from the college wrote this blog for us.

“On Monday 10th March, the Social Impact Society welcomed three inspiring speakers: Jean Kelly, former chair of the board of trustees at Slough Refugee Support (SRS), and two refugees, Meena Hosham and Wais Toofan. The talk was nothing short of eye-opening.

“Jean began by introducing Slough Refugee Support, a charity providing vital support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers. She highlighted some surprising statistics: contrary to popular belief, the UK takes in less than 1% of the world’s refugees compared to other European nations like Germany and Turkey, who host the most in Europe. Jean concluded by explaining the importance of socialisation for allowing refugees to integrate.

“Following Jean's insightful introduction, a fireside chat took place with Meena Lawar Hosham. Meena explained how she was forced to flee Afghanistan due to the Taliban takeover in 2021. This led to a chaotic period of 15 days in which everyone attempted to evacuate the country. She vividly remembers her experience leaving her home country, including rushing to the airport, spending five months in a safe house in Afghanistan and even having to spend over a month in Pakistan to apply for a UK Visa. When asked about the differences she has noticed between Afghanistan and the UK, she immediately brought up the lack of gender equality and freedom in Afghanistan; she recounted how when she was just 5 years old, the Taliban first took over and implemented policies such as banning girls from going to school and beating those who did not pray. When Meena was asked what she missed about her homeland, she said ‘I miss me’: leaving Afghanistan, she lost a piece of herself, that she will never be able to regain.

“After Meena's powerful story, another fireside conversation began with Wais Toofan. Wais’s childhood was marked by displacement and uncertainty. During the Taliban's first reign, his family moved between Pakistan, Tajikistan, and other places to evade persecution. Life became more stable after 2001, and, by 2010, Wais had joined the army. His duty as a soldier brought him to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he worked alongside British forces. Following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, Wais was contacted by his friends in the British army who asked him if he wanted to flee to the UK. After several failed attempts in coordination with the British army, Wais and his pregnant wife finally managed to escape. However, Wais’s journey was far from over: he journeyed through Quarter, Germany, and the US before finally arriving in the UK. After being asked what he misses most about Afghanistan, he replied with one word: ‘everything.’ Wais misses his friends, his home, and his life.

“The society concluded with a Q&A by the audience. One boy asked how we can  make people more welcoming to those seeking asylum. Meena responded by saying, ‘This’, it is talks like this, where refugees are given a platform to share their stories, that we can begin to understand what they have been through.”

“Societies at Eton like this are rare: the audience got to connect with Meena and Wais on such a personal level. It was truly an eye-opening talk that many will not forget.”

Thanks to Sandy Riddick, Zain Carrimjee, John Buchan and Julian DeLorenzo from Eton College for kindly writing this blog.