Herat, Afghanistan – At the dusty Islam Qala border in Herat, thousands of Afghan families pour back into their homeland every day, forced to leave behind lives they once built in Iran. In the middle of this chaotic scene stands Zainab Khairandish, a youth volunteer helping families survive the first days of return.
Zainab is one of the youth volunteers for UNFPA’s Last Mile Assurance (LMA) program deployed to Islam Qala to support the border response for the returning Afghans from Iran. “We act as social mobilizers,” she says. “We help people, primarily women, girls and children, access the services they need.”
In the cramped camp, there are only basic emergency services. Bathrooms and temporary shade are available for women and girls, but the stay is only temporary. Still, Zainab and her team move quickly to make sure urgent needs are met. “Yesterday alone, we had five pregnant women looking for maternal healthcare. My team and I guided them to the UNFPA-supported clinic in the camp so the midwives and doctors could take care of them,” she explains.
Zainab has seen firsthand the two heavy burdens returnees carry. “Some families have no idea where to go—it’s their first time back in Afghanistan in years,” she says. Many of the women are deeply anxious. “They’ve heard stories of how different life is here for women. Some girls had been studying or even working in Iran, and now they are terrified of this unfamiliar context.”
Housing is another looming crisis. “I live in Herat City and I know how hard it’s become to find a house,” Zainab says.
The second burden is poverty.
These families left Afghanistan in the first place for a better life. Now, forced to return, they have no job, no home, and no money.
One mother told me that, in Iran, at least they had an income to satisfy their primary needs. "Here, we will be a burden on society because there is nothing to do, and my daughter, studying in fourth grade in Iran, will soon be out of school in Afghanistan."
For Zainab, seeing the camp for the first time was overwhelming. “It was an emotional shock. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion—women, children, boys, and men everywhere. Some needed medical help, food, and water. Others were lost in desperate thoughts of their unknown future. Then there are the dust storms of Herat, which are hard enough in a house, let alone in the open desert,” she recalls. “I had no words. I just rushed to help.”
Finding strength in a noble mission
Despite it all, Zainab finds strength in her faith and her mission. “It’s a grim scene, but I am grateful that Allah gave me the chance to serve my people in these hard times,” she says. “I talk to mothers, reassure them that everything is going to be fine, even though I don’t know it myself. But I believe and look forward to a better future.”
She sees health workers giving everything they have to care for the returnees. But she knows this is only the beginning. “Overall, it’s a temporary relief,” she says quietly. “It doesn’t solve the bigger problem—how will they cope with this new life?”
Thanks to the Government of the Republic of Korea, youth like Zainab are on the ground every day, offering comfort and urgent help to families in their most vulnerable moments. Even if the road ahead is uncertain, their compassion lights a small path forward.
