Two-and-a-half-year-old Farzad, who was separated from his family for more than 40 days during his family's evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan, is now going to kindergarten. His mother, Wahida Alizada, is happy for her children's future in America, but she is worried about her husband, who is still in Afghanistan.
By Noshaba Ashna | VOA News
Twenty-year-old Wahida Alizada and her two sons, 5-year-old Ilyas and two-and-a-half-year-old Farzad, resettled in Richmond, Virginia, after they were evacuated from Afghanistan last August.
During the chaos at the Kabul airport, Farzad was handed to the U.S. Marines so he could be sheltered from the heat, but when the family entered the airport, Farzad was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Farzad was sent to Norway, and about a month and a half later, he was reunited with his mother.
“Farzad, who was away from me for 43 days and was in Norway, is now going to kindergarten,” said Wahida Alizada. “He has started with the alphabet.”
But Farzad’s father, who had rushed outside the airport to look for his son during the evacuation, remains in Afghanistan.
In a video message, Farzad’s father, who requested his identity not to be disclosed, asked that the U.S. government help him reunite with his family.
“It has been a year since my family has been living in the U.S., and I am in Afghanistan, not knowing what my future holds,” said Farzad’s father. “I call on the U.S. government to address my problem as soon as possible.”
Alizada says that her only worry is that her husband is still in Afghanistan.
“It has been 10 months since we came here, but my husband has not come yet, and this is bothering me,” said Wahida Alizada.
Meanwhile, she is trying to adjust to a new life.
“I am independent now,” said Alizada. “I work, I have a house, and my children go to kindergarten. I am happy that they are getting an education. This makes me very happy.”
She is also making new friends, who not only make her feel at home but also help her.
But she still thinks of Afghanistan — and Afghan children.
“I want the situation in Afghanistan to get better so children, particularly girls, just like here, could get an education and go to school,” said Alizada.
The Taliban imposed strict restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, and she knows that she is lucky to be in the United States.
“As a mother, I see a bright future for my children,” said Alizada.
But Farzad and his brother, Ilyas, are still waiting to be reunited with their father.
“I want the situation in Afghanistan to get better so children, particularly girls, just like here, could get an education and go to school.”