Family Reunion
For Masoma, being separated from her parents and brother in Afghanistan is an 'indescribable hardship' that weighs heavily on her every day. Here’s Masoma’s story of living without her family…
Leaving everything behind
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Masoma's life changed forever. Her job with the British Council put herself and her family at risk, so she had to flee to the UK through a government scheme for Afghans who worked alongside the UK in Afghanistan.
"It is difficult to put into words; they are my pulse, the very rhythm of my existence."
Photo: Masoma Mansori
While government officials promised her family could join her later, over two years on, they remain separated by thousands of miles.
Expressing the depth of separation from loved ones is difficult to put into words; they are my pulse, the very rhythm of my existence. Who can be alive without a heartbeat?
A heartbreaking separation
On the day she was due to leave her home, Masoma was caught up in a terrifying explosion at Kabul airport. She explains: “While we were running, I lost sight of my father and brother. I was filled with worry…eventually, they appeared, and my father gestured for me to keep running….”
Due to the explosion, the airport was closed and Masoma had to return home and live in hiding for almost three months. The family’s final farewell came in November 2021, when Masoma made it back to the airport and began her journey. After spending three weeks in Pakistan, Masoma arrived in the UK and has been working hard to rebuild her life here.
Masoma was forced to leave her home and her life in Afghanistan behind.
Life in the UK
As well as taking part in a leadership course with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Masoma recently joined the IRC’s Community Advisory Board which was created to amplify the voice of refugees and asylum seekers in IRC UK programming.
Determined to support people who have been displaced, Masoma recently helped her local council expand employment training for refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. But despite Masoma’s incredible resilience, life without her family has been a daily struggle, as she says: "It's a horrible reality, not knowing their well-being or whereabouts.
Masoma is now working to provide support to other people who have been displaced in the UK.
Photo: International Rescue Committee
“Living without them is an indescribable hardship. The impact is like a trauma for me, I am really crumbled, emotionally and physically."
We need a better system
War and persecution can tear families apart, with many refugees in the UK separated from their loved ones.
This separation can last years as the UK's Family Reunion rules are incredibly restrictive and there are currently few straightforward, legal pathways for families to reunite.
Their painful separation highlights the urgent need for the UK to create functioning safe routes and offer meaningful protection. Family reunion provides the stability refugees need to resettle and integrate into their new communities.
Read our From Harm to Home report here.
Masoma - who took part in the IRC's leadership course - hopes to be reunited with her family
Hope for the future
Despite their heartbreaking separation, Masoma hopes one day she will reunite with her family.
My biggest hope is simply to be reunited with my family. To hold them close again, to see their faces, and to know that they are safe. I hope for a future where we can laugh together, share our joys and sorrows, and create new memories. Beyond that, I hope for stability and security for my family, wherever we may be, and the opportunity to rebuild our lives together. Ultimately, my greatest hope is for a future where we can be together, free from the fear and uncertainty that has kept us apart.
What is the International Rescue Committee?
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. We work in over 50 crisis-affected countriesincluding Afghanistan.
The IRC in the UK
In addition to helping people in the midst of crises around the world, the IRC helps refugees living in the UK recover and rebuild their lives. Read about our UK programmes.