Editing by Twila Bird
Photography by Lindsay Silsby
My name is Basir. I used to work on trains in the Herat province in Afghanistan before the Taliban warned us and threatened to kill us. We didn't have a chance and we decided to leave the country. We had a good life, a house and a car and a good income. We had an 8-year-old daughter, which the Taliban came and kidnapped from in front of our house. She passed away from her injuries two weeks before we left the country.
I don't believe our country will ever be a safe place to live. We came here and we can't go back because the dangerous conditions still exist in my country and the Taliban are still living there. We can't go back.
My name is Soraya. I was a teacher in Afghanistan. I wish and I hope our [remaining] two daughters will find success in the future and that they can study and live well.
Basir and Soraya's 15-year-old daughter Ghazal enjoys studying mathematics and English.