Meeting a young, strong woman

R. is from Afghanistan. She was forced to leave her country some years ago with her daughter. She has just turned to 18 years old.

A girl, who became mother at 14, shares with us today her thoughts about what #woman and #mother means to her.

#Woman

“Being a woman, for me, means being open-minded, being strong. For our people it’s not like that. It’s just stay at home. Not work, just cleaning, making food and taking care of the baby. I am not like that. I want to be open. I don’t care about what my family says. I want to do whatever I want to. I feel strong and proud because I saved my daughter. She is now 5 years old”.

#Mother

“Mother is what you are. She shows you everything for the life. What your mother is like, it is exactly what you finally become”.

#Painting: the way out

“I paint because I love painting. I started 4 months ago. I haven’t gone to art school to learn how to paint. Everything is in your head.”

#Aim: The drive

“I want to work, I want to learn your language but I don’t want to stay here forever. I want to go to Germany not because my family is there, but because it is what I decided to do, what I chose for me and my daughter when I left Iran”.

The project HOUSE2 is being implemented under the “Asylum and Migration” programme in Greece, by

Σύλλογος Μερίμνης Ανηλίκων και Νέων – Society for the Care of Minors

. The project aims to establish a new long term Accommodation Centre for unaccompanied minors and unaccompanied underage mothers with their children. More info: https://www.sman-athens.org/