Holding on After Loss: Hafizullah’s Story
Badenzoy village, Afghanistan, is a scenic and peaceful place surrounded by mountains and green valleys. But on August 31, 2025, a devastating earthquake changed everything in an instant.
Hafizullah and his family of five were among the nearly 56,000 people that were affected by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan. “When the earthquake struck, it felt like the ground was tearing apart beneath us,” Hafizullah remembered. “Walls collapsed, and dust filled the air. I grabbed my children and ran outside, but homes were falling everywhere.”
In mere moments, the earthquake destroyed Hafizullah’s home and forcibly displaced his family, leaving them without shelter or basic necessities. “We spent the night under the open sky, cold and terrified,” he recalled. “My children clung to me, crying. I felt powerless.”
For Hafizullah, a farmer and the sole breadwinner for his family, the earthquake also meant the loss of his livelihood. “Our home was gone, our belongings buried under rubble, and our livestock lost,” he shared. “Every noise made me fear another collapse."
During the quake, Hafizullah, his wife and their three children were all injured by falling debris. Tragically, his son Jawad sustained a fatal head injury. Remembering him, Hafizullah said, “He was only eight. That pain will never leave me.”
Hafizullah and his family sought treatment at a health clinic that Islamic Relief Canada set up in response to the earthquake. There, the doctors treated their wounds and gave them medicine.
Islamic Relief Canada also set up latrines and water tanks for forcibly displaced people in the village. “Before that, we had no clean water and no safe place for sanitation. These things may seem small, but they mean life to us,” Hafizullah shared. “They gave us dignity and hope.”
Hafizullah’s story is one of millions that show how disasters can force families from their homes in an instant. Too often, people who have been forcibly displaced are left without shelter, medical care, clean water and support to rebuild their livelihood.
Click here to learn more about what forced displacement means and why urgent support is needed.