Refugee, DAFI scholar and future peacebuilder

Alina* was only four years old when she came to the Kyrgyz Republic with her mum, dad and baby brother, fleeing widespread violence, insecurity and human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

Being so young, she has few memories from that time.

“I don’t remember anything from my hometown,” says Alina. “But I remember when we first came here, my mother was always crying.”

Recognised as refugees by the Kyrgyz Republic, Alina’s family were issued with temporary permits, renewable annually, allowing them to stay in the country and access some rights and services, including education. So when she was 7 years old, Alina started first grade.

As a young refugee, however, Alina didn’t know Kyrgyz or Russian languages. She was not able to read or write these languages, and struggled to keep up with the other children in her class.

That summer, despite her young age, she was determined to make things better.

“During summer, my dad really helped me to improve my reading and writing,” says Alina. “A neighbour where my dad was working was also helping me. The grandmother of a friend was helping me. I am grateful for the good people surrounding me through that difficult period.”

By grade 4, Alina was among the top of her class.

“I am grateful for the good people surrounding me through that difficult period.”

Aiming higher

In the Kyrgyz Republic, while refugee children can go to public primary and high schools, tertiary education is different. Unable to compete on par with citizens for government grants, the only possibility for refugees to go to university is if they pay for it themselves. Like many refugee families, this was impossible for Alina’s.

“A friend offered for me to go with her to do an entrance exam for university,” says Alina. “I passed the exam – and she did not, that was awful! – and got interested in finding a way I could study there, because obviously the fees were really high.”

As a member of the Refugee Youth Group, a sort of social, support and development network coordinated by UNHCR in the Kyrgyz Republic, Alina had received information about DAFI, the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative scholarship programme. Recalling these sessions, Alina reached out.

“My parents took credit to pay for the first years’ fees, and I got a DAFI scholarship in sophomore (second) year,” she says with pride.

Looking inwards

Each year, students from around the world come to the Kyrgyz Republic to study. Engaging with so many new people, from so many different countries, forced Alina to look inwards.

“I was really fascinated by the students,” says Alina. “This diverse community opened my eyes, but I had an identity crisis. Was I local or was I Afghan? I was somewhere in between. I had friends among local students and friends among Afghan students. I had this fear that if I introduced myself as Afghan, they would not talk to me.”

Inspired by her university classes, Alina reflected on what this all meant.

“We had these philosophy classes that aimed at developing our critical thinking. I questioned many things, my style of life, my group of friends, my relationship with my family.”

By her third year at university, Alina felt more settled. “I understood that I was born in Afghanistan, and that I should never forget my culture, my people, or our customs, but at the same time I’m living in a different country, my second homeland, and I have family and friends here,” she says. “I was really happy that I was born in Afghanistan and raised in Kyrgyzstan, and in this way, I have a multidimensional view on life.”

With a clearer mind and lighter heart, Alina committed to completing her studies, as well as serving the community, participating in volunteering initiatives to clean Bishkek city, plant trees, and collect clothes for orphanages.

Thanks to the DAFI scholarship programme, in 2018 Alina graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with honours, and started applying for jobs. She now works with a Swiss foundation that focuses on reducing violence and building peace.

Bringing people together

“I was interested in this position because they work in mediation of conflicts in society, between governments and people. They also work on social cohesion to unite people,” says Alina. “At the same time, in Afghanistan, there is this constant conflict. I really want to get this experience of how organizations work on these issues and bring people together.”

Currently, the Kyrgyz Republic does not issue machine-readable travel documents for refugees and stateless people, which means they cannot go abroad. Following recommendations submitted by UNHCR, the amended Law on Refugees, effective 2 May 2023, includes the introduction of procedures to issue travel documents to refugees.

For curious and determined youth like Alina, this is extremely exciting news. “My biggest dream is to travel the world. I really want to go out and see how other people live, how they solve their problems, what issues they face.”

“And one day, if I get the opportunity, I can bring some contribution to my own country, to be of help to my own people.”

* Name changed for protection of the individual.