Afghan migrant family of nine separated during journey to UK

The war in Middle-east has separated countless families over the last decade. One of those families is of Said Ghullam Norzai, who lost seven family members during his migrating journey.

Norzai, a melon farmer driver from, set out from Afghanistan with his family for Britain. Together with a hundred other people, the Norzais crossed the Mediterranean, arriving in Turkey amidst bullets and war. It took a while for the battle to subside for Norzai to come out of a safe space he had crawled into with his son Wali Khan Norzai – but could not find the other members of their family.



It has been a year since but they are yet to hear anything about his wife or six children. Norzai told The Guardian that had he known that the journey would have meant losing seven members of his family, he would have stayed in Afghanistan and risked life under the Taliban.

“I want to carry on with my life here so my child can continue with his education to become something,” said Norzai.

Being an asylum seeker, the 40-year-old is not allowed to work, has no radio or computer or a smartphone to pass time. After he drops his nine-year-old son to school, he has little to do at home. He has been sent to live in Derby by the Home Office.

“I’m asking the British government to give me a document to go and search for my family. It is one year now that my children are lost. I don’t know whether they are in Iran or Turkey, whether they are alive or dead.”

“When my son is coming home at night he is asking me: ‘Dad, where are my mum, brother and sisters?’ Now I am here I thought they would give me a passport. I’m now waiting for a document to go to Turkey and look for them. If I can’t find them I’ll go to Iran. Apart from this, what can I do?” he added.



While Norzai speaks no English, Wali, who is now enrolled in a British school, acts as his interpreter. Wali helps his father call the doctors, officials, even G4S who manage their property. He loves his school, loves playing tag, football and cricket with his friends. Wali hopes to study and become a doctor.

This story originally appeared in The Guardian