Editing by Trisha Leimer
Photography by Christophe Mortier
We defied the Taliban. They found me because I hadn’t gone into hiding with the rest of my family. I lived with our one-hundred-year-old grandmother and took care of her. They knew where we lived, so they came. They hit my grandmother. They beat me with iron rods and asked where my family was hiding. I wouldn’t tell them, and I tried to run away. They ran me over with their car and left me for dead.
Neighbors took me to the hospital. I was in a coma. It took my family three days to find me.
Now we are in Germany. I have scars all over my body, especially on my face and legs. I have seizures. The worst part, though, is the nightmares. I can’t sleep.
I love to play soccer. I love to work and cook. I forget things a lot, and I can’t read. I really love soccer.