A Heartwarming Reunion
A 21-month-old Afghan toddler, Maryam, who was orphaned after her parents died in a bomb blast and gun battle at Kabul airport, has reunited with her family in Qatar. Maryam was among about 200 Afghan children who were evacuated alone on flights that carried tens of thousands out of Afghanistan. She found a new home in Qatar’s Dreama orphanage while her elder brother and two sisters stayed back in Afghanistan.
DNA Testing Leads to Family Reunion
Six weeks after the massive Kabul bomb blast, UN sleuths thought they had the baby’s identity and they contacted Maryam’s relatives to carry out DNA tests. The UN children’s agency worked with Dreama orphanage to see if there were any family members of the orphaned children. Finally, Maryam’s uncle, Yaar Mohammad Niazi, and her brother and two sisters were reunited with her at the orphanage.
Specialized Care for Orphaned Children
According to a Qatari official, they provided specialized care to orphaned children and worked with UNICEF to locate their family members. Maryam was carried onto a US military flight by a teenage boy and taken to Qatar’s Dreama orphanage where she received love and care from the staff.
Moving to United States for Safety
Mr Niazi and his three orphaned children were back in Afghanistan when the Taliban installed a government for what they named the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. After obtaining a passport from the new authorities, Mr Niazi and his family have moved to Qatar to be with Maryam. They plan to move to the United States together with his wife and eight children now under their care for safety.
Step-by-Step Access for Family Members
Social workers will give Mr Niazi and his children gradually increased access to Maryam so that they can get to know her. Maryam’s siblings and family members were overjoyed to see her after many months of fighting to be reunited with each other.
Other Children Reunited with Relatives
Many other children who were evacuated from Afghanistan have been reunited with their relatives or adopted by families in the US, Canada or Europe, while some are still awaiting the chance to find new homes abroad. Hundreds of Afghans are still at a US military base in Qatar, waiting for the chance to find new homes abroad.
Maryam’s reunion with her family is a heartwarming story amidst the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. It gives hope that reunions like this will become more common as organizations like Dreama orphanage and UNICEF continue their efforts to locate family members of orphaned children. The world hopes for a peaceful and stable future for Afghanistan and its people.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
