Ghorzang's story
Ghorzang's* family, originally from Nangarhar, Afghanistan, migrated to Peshawar, Pakistan. The family, consisting of seven members including Ghorzang, his parents, three brothers, and a sister, faced significant financial hardship. His father worked as a labourer, earning only 3,000-4,000 Pakistani rupees per month. Due to their poverty, Ghorzang was forced to leave school after just two weeks and began working with his brother Rahmatullah, collecting garbage from graves, earning a meagre 3,000 rupees per month.
Life at home was also challenging. His father was addicted to hashish and would often beat the children when he wasn't smoking. He demanded that Ghorzang bring home 4,000 rupees each day, which eventually led Ghorzang to run away with his friend Abbas. They travelled to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, where Ghorzang stayed in a child protection centre for 2-3 months before escaping with another boy named Faisal and returning to Peshawar. From there, he journeyed to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he stayed at a Taliban checkpoint for two months. After escaping, he went to Parwan province in search of work but was eventually caught by the Taliban and placed in a governmental orphanage.
After two months in the orphanage, Ghorzang was introduced to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which connected him with the Hagar/Forgotten No More (FNM) Child Protection Shelter. When he first arrived at the FNM shelter, he was in poor physical and mental health, having suffered abuse from various people after leaving his family. He was traumatised, anxious, and distrustful, even withholding accurate information about his family.
However, during the nine months he spent at the Hagar/FNM shelter, Ghorzang received comprehensive services that significantly improved his condition. These services included psychological counselling, legal awareness, medical treatment, education, recreation, and a safe living environment. This support helped him recover and regain hope for the future. As he improved, Ghorzang requested mediation to resolve the issues with his family so that he could safely reintegrate.
Following the support from FNM, Ghorzang's negative thoughts decreased, and he became more hopeful, engaging in his education, recreational activities, and building positive connections with the FNM staff and other children. The FNM team was able to locate his family, and after several counselling and mediation sessions, especially with his father, they were able to resolve the issues that had led to his separation from his family.
Once the pre-reintegration process was complete, and the FNM team ensured his safety, Ghorzang was successfully reintegrated with his family. The FNM team continues to follow up regularly, and Ghorzang is now safe, happy, and back in school, with a good relationship with his parents and siblings. His family is grateful for the comprehensive support and positive changes the Hagar-FNM project has brought to Ghorzang’s life.
*Names have been changed to protect our clients privacy
