Life was tough for Mohammad Wali, 31, and his family. Stuck in a tiny home and short of work, they struggled to make ends meet. But help was at hand. NRC’s Maisam Shafiey visited the family and witnessed first-hand how shelter assistance can transform lives.
New home, new start for Mohammad Wali
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I first met Mohammad Wali in November 2024 at his modest home in Kama district, Nangarhar province. He had returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan nearly 16 years previously. Ever since, he and his large family – six daughters and three sons – had been living in a single small room.
With his youngest children still too young to help with household finances and only the eldest son and daughter attending school, Mohammad Wali faced immense challenges. A skilled tailor by profession, he had recently been out of work due to low demand and was forced to sell his sewing equipment to repay debts. “I had nothing left,” he said quietly. “Only hope.”
In August 2024, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) visited Mohammad Wali’s home as part of a needs assessment. He explained that, as a person with a disability and no stable income, he could not afford to build a proper home for his growing family.
“We have lived together in a single room for 16 years. There is no privacy, no comfort. It is not easy for a family this size,” he said.
After assessing his situation, the NRC team selected Mohammad Wali’s family as being eligible for its shelter assistance programme. By the time I met him that November, construction on their new home was 80 per cent complete. He spoke with visible excitement: “This new house is a new start for us. My wife and children are so happy, we cannot wait to move in.”
For a family that had spent years in cramped conditions, the new home represented far more than four walls. It was a symbol of dignity and a better future.
Space to live
When I returned to visit Mohammad Wali again in April 2025, everything had changed. The construction was complete, and the family had already moved in. As I entered the courtyard, I was greeted with a warm smile and heartfelt hospitality.
“It has been two months since we moved in,” he said. “We are very happy here. For the first time, we have enough space to live comfortably.”
His wife was equally enthusiastic. “Our children are so excited,” she said. “Now they have their own room. They enjoy the new space so much. We can even host guests now, something that was almost impossible before.”
For Mohammad Wali, the home has given him the strength to dream again. He now hopes his children go to school and pursue brighter futures. “I want them to become doctors, engineers, teachers. Education is the key to everything.”
With support from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, NRC has constructed new shelters for 620 returnee and displaced Afghan families across three eastern provinces of Afghanistan: Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman.
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