Afghanistan: More in Common Than Just Their Pyjamas

Their names are Walas Bibi and Zubaida, and they have more in common than just their pink pyjamas: they are both victims of war.

Walas Bibi, 10, was near her house in the Nad Ali district of Helmand, one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan, when her right arm and abdomen were wounded during a firefight. She has been hospitalised at our Surgical Centre for War Victims in Lashkar-Gah for a few weeks now. Her condition is beginning to improve, but her wound still needs medical attention.

Zubaida, 8, had her legs injured by a mortar explosion while she was going to fetch water near her house in the city of Sangin. She lost her father a few weeks ago and her mother cannot reach the hospital due the unstable security situation. The day that is dedicated for hospital visits by relatives is a sad one for Zubaida; she stands in the corridors and watches others.

The two little girls often spend their time together. Here they are, playing with the flowers from the hospital garden. This is how they try to forget the pain of the wounds caused by a war that keeps making so much noise outside.

EMERGENCY Surgical Centre for War Victims in Lashkar-Gah, Afghanistan, is co-financed by European Civil Protection & Human Aid Operations – ECHO

Photo Credits: Giulio Piscitelli