Imagine having to quickly leave your home and move to a new country with nothing at all except what you can carry – all while taking care of nine children.
This is exactly what happened to Masoud, who came to Tajikistan in 2021, after the country began accepting more families fleeing violence and instability in Afghanistan.
“I come from Parwan province in Afghanistan,” says Masoud (name changed to protect his identity). “When the political situation started deteriorating, I sold all I had and left for good. We were 38 people altogether”.
Masoud recalls that when the bus carrying those people arrived in Tajikistan, everyone was silent. Not knowing what to expect – or most importantly, whether there will be anywhere to settle – refugees like Masoud faced the daunting challenge of making a home in a very different country and culture.
The shoe rack at the entrance to a home in Tajikistan where local authorities provide subsidized accommodations for refugees from Afghanistan, who also pay rent for their apartments. The Tajikistan Red Crescent Society has supported the refugees with food parcels and cash transfers, among other things.
Photo: Yulia Bilenko, IFRC
Now, three years after the big move, Masoud’s family lives in an apartment in the Sugd region of Tajikistan where local authorities provide subsidized housing for refugees from Afghanistan and others in need.
Masoud’s children go to school, and his oldest sons already work.
“Finding a job was a huge challenge,” Masoud says. “Back in Afghanistan I owned a fruit shop. Here I could only go to the bazaar and ask for daily work. Finally, I got a job on a farm for 50 som (4 euros) per day.
“Three years later, I sell products that I purchase from farmers. So, you can say it is better”.
Masoud’s wife other aspects of life are also getting better: “What is good here, is first of all security,” she says. “Then schools of course. And local people are very kind. But… no matter what we do, we are guests. We feel it every moment.”
For this reason, the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan, along with other partner organizations and local NGOs, do their best to help people settle and feel at home. With the support of the Programmatic Partnership (a partnership between the IFRC network and the civil protection and humanitarian aid operations of the European Commission), the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan in providing cash, food parcels, and hygiene kits to refugees in Tajikistan.
“There has never even been a question of what or who to prioritize – locals or refugees. If we can help – we do it. Because trust me, no one would ever want to be in the shoes of people on the move”.
Elmurod Ismoilov, head of the local branch of the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan, Jabbor Rasulov district.
The support has also helped the Red Crescent to organized vocational courses, including culinary, driving, beauty courses, and English classes for Afghan kids, among other things.
Suffering from anemia and severe headaches, Madina (not her real name) often worries about access to doctors and medications. Volunteers from the local branch of the Tajikistan Red Crescent often visit and do everything they can to ensure she gets good medical care.
Photo: Yulia Bilenko, IFRC
'If we can help, we do it'
One of the people who was also welcomed and supported by the Tajikistan Red Crescent is Madina.
“First days after arrival a huge kazan [large cooking pot] was brought to the yard and they cooked fresh hot plov for us,” says Madina (name changed), referring to a traditional Tajik dish of rice meat and spices similar to what is known as pilaf in other countries in the region.
“We were provided with everything we needed. With daily supply of hot bread. With matresses, pillows… everything. Even this apartment was provided for us. In my case the most necessary thing was medicines – as I suffer from anemia”.
“It is what we do – we see the need and we help,” says Elmurod Ismoilov, head of the local branch of the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan, Jabbor Rasulov district. “We work with the community to promote understanding. We do everything for speedy social inclusion and restoring the level of life.
“There has never even been a question of what or who to prioritize – locals or refugees. If we can help – we do it. Because trust me, no one would ever want to be in the shoes of people on the move”.