'Imagine not seeing your family for seven years....'
The response above from a student on his way out of the hall seemed to sum up the impact that Rana Haidari made when she spoke to year 7 on November 15th 2022.
Rana joined Aylsham High in year 10 after leaving Afghanistan to seek sanctuary in the UK. Now in her final year of her biomedicine degree at the University of East Anglia, Rana came to talk to year 7 about life in Afghanistan, her experiences of the UK, and to share her messages about the importance of education and treatment of refugees. |
For the last few years Rana has taken the time to talk to year 7 students about Afghanistan to help them with their studies in English. The students read Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman and Rana has been keen to help them understand more about the lives of the children in the fictional story by sharing her own thoughts on Afghanistan.
This year, the group gathered in the hall and Rana shared her thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan and the importance of education, before answering over forty questions from the students.
Rana spoke first about education and coming to the UK to learn. Rana told the students, 'Learning English was hard. I used my phone to translate and I had to pay attention all the time but I was determined to learn. I would like you to understand that school and education is important to girls from Afghanistan. You are very lucky to have the opportunities we did not have; to us, going to school is everything.'
When asked about any barriers she faced, Rana said, 'Sometimes it would be difficult to keep up and I would write in my own language and translate afterwards. Once one of the people who supported me in my lessons asked me not to doodle in my book and I had to tell her it was my language! This was quite a funny moment.'
This year, the group gathered in the hall and Rana shared her thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan and the importance of education, before answering over forty questions from the students.
Rana spoke first about education and coming to the UK to learn. Rana told the students, 'Learning English was hard. I used my phone to translate and I had to pay attention all the time but I was determined to learn. I would like you to understand that school and education is important to girls from Afghanistan. You are very lucky to have the opportunities we did not have; to us, going to school is everything.'
When asked about any barriers she faced, Rana said, 'Sometimes it would be difficult to keep up and I would write in my own language and translate afterwards. Once one of the people who supported me in my lessons asked me not to doodle in my book and I had to tell her it was my language! This was quite a funny moment.'
I felt really inspired by Rana because she was brave enough to leave her country on her own - Sara. |
Listening to Rana made me want to work harder, knowing how hard she worked - Bella. |
When we asked Rana what we might do to help refugees, she told us, 'Be kind to them. Also, one thing I wanted to talk to you about today is the importance of not judging people based on their ability with the English language. Don’t make assumptions if someone can’t speak English as well as you can. Speaking English is not a measure of how clever someone is. Often, those learning English already know multiple languages and they are smarter than you think. The best way, I think, to understand refugees and asylum seekers is to put yourself in their situation and see how you would feel.'
This talk changed my life because it has made me grateful for what I have and I will always go to school when I can - Tallulah |
Listening to Rana has made me much more understanding of the issues faced by people who come from different countries. I was shocked and sad - Daisy |
Rana had some ideas to share about how we can make people feel welcome when they arrive in the UK: 'Provide a supportive environment and assist them with community projects, help them out with translation, provide school uniforms, carry out a donation drive, collect toys for younger children, give them warm clothes...there are so many things you can do to help others feel welcome. Again, just think about what you would need if you had to leave behind everything to suddenly move elsewhere. What would you want to have? What would you miss? Try and help replace those things. Imagine what you would need to feel welcome, to feel that people really cared, and do that. '
All I could think about when I was listening to Rana was how I would like to help people in Afghanistan one day and in other places. I think it sort of made it my goal to help people. I believe that everyone should be treated fairly. - Evie
Rana was keen for us to understand the perspective of refugees. 'I want you to know that refugees are not here to claim benefits and take jobs. There might be some who are lazy; there are good and bad people in every nation. But you need to think carefully: no one can leave everything behind such as their family, friends, culture and everything else just for money and benefits. Most refugees, including myself, are here to survive because they are unable to survive in their own countries. Think about that, and share that message. Being a refugee is about survival.'
Rana shared her thoughts on what is happening in Afghanistan in 2022. 'The situation is very concerning and I am extremely worried about people, especially women, because they do not have access to their basic human rights. Women cannot leave the house without a male dependent accompanying them. In addition, Hazara genocide has reached its maximum and the rest of the world has, in my view, turned a blind eye to Hazara people. Hazara people are very educated people because they are very supportive in educating their daughters and well as their sons. I think the Taliban know that the Hazara tribe will improve Afghanistan if they are not stopped from progressing further. Hazara girls are unstoppable and when the situation gets hard, they will work harder.'
'In addition to the problems faced by women, everything is very expensive since the take-over of the Taliban. People have lost their jobs, their hopes and everything they had.'
When asked about the importance of education, Rana said, 'Most of the problems people face in Afghanistan are due to lack of education. Educated men would NEVER treat women as a second-class citizens, and educated women would never allow men to treat them badly and disrespect them with the correct education. Education is the most powerful tool, and educated mothers will educate a generation.' Rana told the students about a recent attack on an educational centre, and told the story of some of the women who have disappeared because they have spoken out against the injustice against women.
Rana shared her thoughts on what is happening in Afghanistan in 2022. 'The situation is very concerning and I am extremely worried about people, especially women, because they do not have access to their basic human rights. Women cannot leave the house without a male dependent accompanying them. In addition, Hazara genocide has reached its maximum and the rest of the world has, in my view, turned a blind eye to Hazara people. Hazara people are very educated people because they are very supportive in educating their daughters and well as their sons. I think the Taliban know that the Hazara tribe will improve Afghanistan if they are not stopped from progressing further. Hazara girls are unstoppable and when the situation gets hard, they will work harder.'
'In addition to the problems faced by women, everything is very expensive since the take-over of the Taliban. People have lost their jobs, their hopes and everything they had.'
When asked about the importance of education, Rana said, 'Most of the problems people face in Afghanistan are due to lack of education. Educated men would NEVER treat women as a second-class citizens, and educated women would never allow men to treat them badly and disrespect them with the correct education. Education is the most powerful tool, and educated mothers will educate a generation.' Rana told the students about a recent attack on an educational centre, and told the story of some of the women who have disappeared because they have spoken out against the injustice against women.
All people want to do is go to school and be treated as equals. I think it is so unfair that women are treated as second-class citizens. I also realise how fortunate I am to live in a country where you don't have to worry about bombs and landmines and leaders that want to stop us from living our lives - Toby |
It surprised and shocked me that women and girls cannot get education easily in Afghanistan. The government there are destroying peace and also ruining the future of the population - Merryn |
Rana was asked about her proudest achievement, and what she has found most difficult. 'Overcoming adversity and obstacles to reach where I am today and making use of every opportunity that I had - that is what I am most proud of. The most difficult thing is being away from my family and friends for over 7 years.'
I think Rana is very positive with the future and also inspiring. I would love to be as positive as her - Daisy
I felt so sympathetic towards Rana, as she hadn't seen her family in so long. She hasn't seen her little brother as he was born when she had come to England. It makes me consider how lucky we are - Ben
I was shocked at the treatment of the Hazara tribe and I felt bad for the actions that the government inflict on the Afghan people. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if the same thing was happening in the UK - Ted
When asked about her favourite things about the UK, Rana replied, 'You will like this - I love roast dinners! I would say the thing I like the most though is the people here. Everyone is so kind and helpful. I feel grateful to have met the teachers here at Aylsham High school. The teachers inspired me to follow my dreams and never give up. I would not be where I am now if I had not been at this school. You should remember how lucky you are to be here with the teachers you have and the caring environment. Thank you AHS!'