Gloriann Liu

Diary of an Afghan Child Bride: I returned to Afghanistan in February, 2014. I had begun working with Zarghona the prior year, in January, 2013. Zarghona was a child bride at age ten, 41 years ago. She has eight children, one who is disabled and is now eighteen. When I met her last year she was begging on a busy street in downtown Kabul. She must sit with her disabled son Barialy for several hours every day, long enough for her to collect ten to fifteen dollars. This amount enables her to buy food for her family that day. Since I saw her in 2013, Zarghona and part of the family moved away from the Old City and are now in a rental apartment in the Shah Said District. The Old City is where the home was that she lived in last year. That home was destroyed in a snowstorm when the roof collapsed. I asked Zarghona if we could visit with her husband, son Zalmy, daughter-in-law Camilla and family. She invited us for a Friday outing. I also asked if we could see the old home, and she answered “of course”. Zarghona found out that night that her husband and son had sold the property and had not told her. Now, with an aging husband of ninety-one, an invalid son, one young daughter, and several grandchildren to support, she has lost her one remaining asset and has become severely depressed. After lunch on Friday, we went to Carmilla’s house, in The Old City, to visit with her family and her husband, Ghalam- Faroq. Zarghona was surrounded by four of her children and five of her grandchildren, all playing and talking around the sanderlay. The next time I saw Zarghona we went to The Shrine of Hazrat e BaBay Khode Saib, who lived a thousand years ago. We went to the shrine so Barialy and Malalai could have Dam, a healing, and so Zarghona, her daughter and daughter-in-law could pray. Parwiz was the man performing the Dam and reading verses from the Holy Quran. We took Zarghona home and said our goodbyes for now. I will return to Afghanistan within the year. There is hope for the future for many Afghans, but for Zarghona that hope is dim.