A country in Central Asia. Zebo is a very young girl. She and her family are refugees from Afghanistan. When she arrived in a country in Central Asia [name withheld for security reasons] and started attending the local school, she was shocked to learn that all her classmates dreamed of having a career when they grew up. Some wanted to be doctors, others teachers or office managers, etc. But she couldn't even imagine what she could dream of becoming because she knew from the beginning that when she finished school, she would be forced to get married.
Image right: The vulnerable women learn how to make jewelry and sew, among other things, so they can either start their own business or get a job. In addition to women like Zebo, women who are victims of human trafficking for prostitution, victims of domestic violence or have been prostitutes are also helped to help themselves.
The brother beat up Zebo
Every day when she came home after school she was under pressure and tight control, and sometimes if she came home late after school, she was beaten by her brother. Their mother encouraged her brother to beat her sister - she said she needed to learn her place. The first time he beat her she got a black eye, the next time he broke her nose, and the time after that he broke her arm. It got worse and worse each time. She never felt loved by her family because they didn't act like a family and never talked about love or feelings.
Punished for writing a poem - and escaped
Once Zebo had written a poem about love and friendship. Her mother found her notebook and made Zebo's brother react again. So Zebo was beaten badly again, and even when she tried to explain to her mom that it was just a talent she had and not real feelings, they didn't believe her. So the next day when she had to go to school, she didn't go, she just went wherever her feet took her. She lived on the streets for eight days and nights, and then she went on the internet and called the UN. She was then brought to the Danish European Mission's partner, which runs a shelter for vulnerable women like Zebo.
Here she received medical attention, but she couldn't leave because all her relatives were looking for her and wanted to kill her. Her running away from home had brought great shame to her family.
Her family chased her and threatened the Danish European Mission's partner
In Afghanistan, if a girl runs away from home, it means death. She knew this before she ran away, but she couldn't stay at home anymore. She was very scared because she was from the Taliban tribe. All the employees of the Danish European Mission partner organization were in danger, but God protected them all. After some time, the family found out about it and they wanted to force her to come home so she could be sent back to Afghanistan to be killed. Because as her mother said, it's better to have a dead daughter than a daughter who brings shame to the family. But once again, God was with her and they failed to take her.
Getting help for self-help
She still lives in the shelter supported by the Danish European Mission, where she is taking a cooking course. She has already passed the jewelry making courses and is actually the best at making jewelry.
She says: "This is the best place for me to be because I feel more confident and I know that even though I don't have a long education, I can still earn money. Now I have learned to dream and I dream of starting a similar organization in Afghanistan. I also dream of learning English.
I thank God for bringing me here. What if I had had to stay on the street and something bad had happened to me? Or what if my parents had found me on the street? I know that God has a plan for me, and now I know that Jesus is with me."
