Afghanistan: Ghani's story of healing and new hope

Struggling with mental health issues can be devastating and lonely. Tearfund's local partner is providing support.

Written by Tarryn Pegna | 09 Aug 2024

A man stands silhouetted against a sunset sky in Afghanistan

Joy-sapping stress, debilitating anxiety, crippling depression. The scars of war are not always as obvious as broken bones, empty spaces at the table and burnt out buildings, but their toll can be devastating.

Decades of conflict in Afghanistan have left many people injured, displaced and facing poverty and hunger. And a 2018 National Mental Health Survey reported that nearly half of all Afghans showed signs of mental health disorders.

As the economic crisis has deepened since that survey, it’s likely even more people are struggling now, but stigma and limited access to mental health professionals create a barrier to treatment, leaving many battling mental illness alone.

To step into this gap, Tearfund’s local partner in Western Afghanistan has been running a mental health programme for the past few years.

Working with local authorities, health care workers, communities and other professionals (like teachers and religious leaders), our partner’s goal is to ensure that mental health is recognised, not stigmatised, and that people who need support can be treated appropriately.

Ghani’s* story of recovery and a new life

Ghani is one of the hundreds of people who have received support through our local partner. He is a 22-year-old man who lives with his parents and his brothers and sisters in one of the more densely populated areas of Herat city.

The town where his family lives hosts many people who have been internally displaced, which adds pressure to the local economy and Ghani’s family struggles financially. Finding it difficult to pay for daily necessities is a stressful situation for anyone to live with and it’s not surprising that Ghani’s mental health felt the strain of this. Then, at the beginning of 2021, he was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

‘I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I didn't enjoy going anywhere. I preferred to stay home and spend my time alone.’

The IBD caused Ghani a lot of physical pain and it also cost him all of his money to treat it. The illness, on top of the struggles with money, left him anxious and sad and his condition got progressively worse until he was no longer able to manage going to school and his job. He tells us his friends called him ‘lazy’ and mocked him for being unemployed. That only made things worse. Eventually, Ghani could barely leave the house.

‘I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I didn’t enjoy going anywhere. I preferred to stay home and spend my time alone,’ he says.

Ghani says he knew he was in a bad state mentally, but he didn’t know how to fix it or where to get help.

Pressure, illness and anxiety

And then things got even worse for Ghani and his family. Ghani’s brother, Ali, was injured in an accident and lost one of his legs. This was a terrible thing to happen and apart from the physical and emotional impact for Ghani’s brother and the distress it caused to the whole family, it placed extra financial pressure and responsibility on them and on Ghani.

Ghani says he felt suffocated by everything and everyone. He did not trust anyone and had no patience with people. He became isolated, and all his friends avoided him. ‘When Ali was injured and lost one of his legs,’ Ghani tells us, ‘my mental state started to worsen. I felt that I was on the verge of insanity.’

Help came for Ghani in the form of a community volunteer who works with our local partner. One day, the volunteer arrived at Ghani’s house with information about mental health disorders, to help Ghani understand what was happening to him and how it might be treated. He also introduced Ghani to the mental health community centre nearby.

‘The community volunteer listened to me carefully and treated me with respect,’ says Ghani, and so he made the decision to go and get help.

Road to recovery

After a medical examination at the centre, Ghani received some medication and was invited to counselling sessions. Now, two years later, with ongoing treatment, he says he feels much better and the symptoms of his mental problems have reduced to almost nothing. He feels very motivated to continue working toward his recovery. Ghani tells us his hope has become firm and unconquerable.

‘Now I have a job and I run a shop with two employees. I am happy and I don't have time to think about disappointing things. I have made new friends, and I am so happy with my life.’

Ghani was also included in livelihood training by our local partner to help him find a way to feel productive again and to give him a way to solve the financial difficulties that cause so much stress. Through this, he took part in a six-month tailoring course. He tells us, ‘After I finished the tailoring course, I received some tools that I would need for tailoring. Along with my health recovery, this was the greatest help for me to be able to start my own business.

‘Now I have a job and I run a shop with two employees. I am happy and I don't have time to think about disappointing things. I have made new friends, and I am so happy with my life.’

*Name has been changed for protection

Pray for Afghanistan

Pray for people in Afghanistan who are facing the difficult and often unseen struggle of mental health disorders on top of, and often as a result of, so many other difficulties and crises.
Pray for Tearfund's local partner staff as they work to relieve the suffering of people struggling with their mental health. Praise God for their commitment and their work. Pray that they will be able to help many more people come out of despair and find a renewed purpose.
Pray for the livelihoods training work and that it will result in many people successfully being able to provide for their needs and support their families.