Vital Resource Distribution to Refugee Communities
- Decoding Barriers
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
Naheed Afridi, a founding member and Secretary of Decoding Barriers, led an initiative to support the inhabitants of a refugee camp in Landi Kotal, Khyber District that spanned several visits throughout 2023 and 2024.
Pakistan implemented a mass deportation of all “unregistered foreigners” in 2023, forcing millions of families who have resided in Pakistan their entire lives to reside in inhumane deportation centers before being expelled from the country. The families who have been targeted by these deportations have had their homes destroyed, assets confiscated, and livelihoods taken from them. Families are restricted from carrying more than 50,000 PKR (approximately $180 USD) with them across the border, causing them to have to rebuild their lives from scratch. As many Afghan activists are in the process of obtaining visas in the United States due to the high risk of being targeted by the Taliban, this policy is life-threatening.
When volunteers from Decoding Barriers visited the detention centers designated for Afghan refugees, they were greeted by many women and young children who lacked basic needs, such as food, clean water, feminine products, and clothing to keep them warm amid the harsh conditions. The psychological toll the mass deportations had taken on families was apparent. Many of the refugees had been separated from their loved ones and feared what awaited them on the other side of the border. Volunteers from Decoding Barriers and other organizations spent days preparing emergency relief bags with materials such as warm coats, feminine products, pantry items, and toys for the large population of children being held in these detention centers.
Although Decoding Barriers primarily focuses on education-based efforts, humanitarian crises affecting our areas are of the utmost importance. Without access to necessities, children rely on such community-based initiatives for survival. To cultivate an environment in which children can complete basic education and potentially attain higher education, they must feel safe, healthy, and happy. The unfortunate reality is that refugee children such as the ones who have been targeted by the mass deportations by the government of Pakistan are at a significant disadvantage in comparison to their peers. The education system is significantly more unstable in Afghanistan, and it is particularly difficult for young women to receive an education. Furthermore, the difficulties families face when beginning a new life in a different country often lead to prolonged gaps in children’s education and economic pressure that may force them to leave the education system prior to receiving primary education.
Despite these challenges, it is possible to create a meaningful difference in the lives of these bright individuals through several targeted initiatives and community-driven efforts while advocating for the necessary larger-scale projects that must be undertaken to truly bridge the gap between the educational opportunities present for the most disadvantaged children in the region compared to their peers. By raising awareness about how policies such as the mass deportation of Pakistan’s immigrants negatively impacts countless lives and hinders the educational growth of the broader region and ensuring children have access to the resources necessary for them to pursue education, we can mimize the educational barriers these vulnerable populations face.
To learn more about Decoding Barriers and how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.decodingbarriers.org.
