Six million people face a hard new life in Afghanistan. They return from living in Pakistan and Iran. Many left their homes many years ago. They know very little about modern Afghanistan. The Taliban now runs the whole country. This brings big fear to the new arrivals.
A fresh group of one million people arrived this year. They crossed the border in recent months. Workers help them with food and water. But the country lacks enough money and jobs. Families struggle to find safe places to sleep. Winter brings freezing cold weather to the mountains.
The Long Journey Back
Many families lived outside Afghanistan for decades. Some children were born in other countries. They never saw an Afghan village before. Police in neighboring countries told them to leave. People packed their bags in great a rush. They carried only a few small items.
Borders are very busy every single day. Long lines of trucks wait on the road. Parents hold their crying babies very tight. Soldiers watch the people cross the gate. Everyone feels tired and very sad. They leave behind their old friends and schools.
Starting Over With Nothing
The new arrivals have almost no money left. Houses in local towns cost too much. Many people live in tents right now. Food prices are high in the local market. Adults search for any kind of daily work. Children cannot go to school this year.
Winter snow makes life much harder now. Warm blankets are hard to buy in town. Local doctors help sick people at the camp. Medicines run out very fast each week. Families share small meals around a fire. Hope for the future keeps them going.
What Happens Next
The local leaders need more help from outside. Aid groups send boxes of flour and oil. Trucks bring clean water to the big camps. Workers build new tents before the snow. Leaders talk about plans for next year. Nobody knows when life will get better.
Children play in the dirt near the tents. They try to smile despite the cold wind. Parents dream of a peaceful future here. They work hard to build mud houses. Every day brings a new hard test. Afghanistan is their home once again now.