Story of Mahdi

''Today I’d like to talk about is a little 10-year-old kid from Kabul, Afghanistan. The first time I met him was when I was trying to communicate to an adult in English with a lot of gesturing and then the kid said ‘’It’s important to know English, it’s very useful’’. He then came in front of the community centre and showed off his ‘hula-hoop’….he was good! I tried, it fell to the ground in 2 seconds. We then chatted for at least 30 minutes. He apologised to sit and talk but he said he wanted to practice his English.

He was very open about his life back in Kabul, to the extent that he was very matter-of-fact about being around Taliban and constantly hearing bombings. He also mentioned that his parents had passed away and that his older brother made the decision to move away. They apparently had a plan which included learning English. This kid now speaks fluent English that he learnt in 1 year and also a little bit of German (sorry Deutch, as he corrected me). He said, his other 2 siblings were in Germany and that he couldn't wait to get there and therefore wanted to read as many German books as possible.

He also said he wanted to be an artist when he grows up – painting and drawing and later he gave me something he created out of paper. This kid was so resilient, unbelievably smart, and motivated and had this thirst for knowledge and the future. No one needs to normalise being around Taliban leave alone a kid.

Extrinsic motivation is limited in Moria, but clearly there is something internally driving this child and I can’t be happier about that. It is this internal motivation we need to harness and nourish, whether it is in the form schooling or just having a regular conversation. The knowledge that things could be normal and that people will treat you with the same amount of dignity and respect is extremely important in a situation like this. I will always remember this kid and I hope to see him flourish 10-15 years from now and perhaps be a proud owner of his paintings. " - Sindhuja Sankaran