Afghan family arrive in Cork after fleeing Taliban threat
Samir,a Hamed and Zahid Naderi in Cork this week, after their arrival from Afghanistan in recent days
An Afghan couple who could not bring their seriously ill son to hospital because of death threats have arrived in Ireland to make a new life.
Hamed and Samira Naderi and their 20-month-old son, Zahid, arrived in Cork on Thursday — just weeks after Zahid’s heart stopped because of illness.
A family member had to take Zahid to hospital as Samira and Hamed could not risk being found by the Taliban, who had threatened to kill them. Before the Taliban gained control in Afghanistan last August, Hamed worked in human rights with the Afghan Women’s Network.
The family has had to move a number of times since last August after they became aware that their lives were in danger.
They are relieved to have been allowed to come to Ireland through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.
Hamed told the that the family received their official visa letters allowing them to come to Ireland on January 19.
He said: “It was the best day of our lives.”
Within 24 hours of receiving the notification, the family left Afghanistan and travelled to neighbouring Pakistan, where they stayed for a number of days before continuing from there to Dubai to catch a flight to Dublin.
He described the journey from Afghanistan to Pakistan as being difficult and fearful.
Although delighted to have arrived in Cork, the family are sad they had to leave loved ones behind them in Afghanistan.
Hamed said:
He said Zahid is now much improved and the family is getting used to their new surroundings, and the change in climate.
They are being hosted in Cork by arts manager, Nicki ffrench Davis and her husband, fiddle maker Bertrand Galen.
Hamed says that although they are just new here, they are already impressed by the country and the people they have met so far who, he says, have been “very peaceful, kind and lovely”.
Just weeks before Christmas, the couple’s friend, Joya Kuin, set up a petition to lobby ministers Roderic O'Gorman, Simon Coveney and Helen McEntee for the family to be allowed to come to Ireland.
She is a fundraiser for the Afghan Women’s Network, through which she met and became friends with the couple.
She lives in Cork and is now helping the Naderi family to adapt to their new lives.
She said:
A crowdfunding campaign has also been set up to help the family rebuild their lives.
“They had to leave everything behind and will have to start from scratch again here. The money from the crowdfunding campaign will go towards basic needs like warm clothes, food, medical costs, schooling and securing long-term accommodation.”
The gofundme campaign page can accessed at https://www.gofundme.com/f/welcomethenaderifamily
