SPEAK: A Refugees' Never-ending Journey

In May 2022, the United Nations (UN) announced that there are over 100 million refugees and asylum seekers for the first time in human history. An estimated 1% of the human population forcibly fled places of conflict.

Since 2010, the number of countries in conflict has doubled. Of the 195 countries in the world, only 23 countries host approximately 850 million forcibly displaced people, and Portugal is one of them.

Yet, a refugee's journey doesn't end upon arrival at their destination country. It is only the beginning.

At the end of 2022, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ziauddin Samadi, Vice President of the Association of Afghan Community in Portugal, where he shared his journey from Afghanistan to Portugal and the struggles he faced in adapting to life in a foreign land, which he now calls home.

This article was published on January 13, 2023. To learn more, read the full article below.

My deepest gratitude is extended to

• Dr Rita Guerra from ISCTE-IUL, Portugal and Dr Kinga Bierwiaczonek from the University of Oslo, Norway
• Harvind Ganese of Speak Social
• Ziauddin Samadi of Associação da Comunidade Afegã em Portugal