From Displacement to Contribution: The Quiet Strength of a New Beginning
When Tamana fled Afghanistan with her husband and two children, it was not a decision made lightly. Like many others, her journey was driven by a combination of personal risk and the shrinking space for human rights in her homeland. However, she wasn’t just leaving a country in turmoil; she was fleeing with a target on her back.
In Afghanistan, Tamana had built a meaningful career. She was a project manager with a social services organization that cooperated with the United Nations to assist internally displaced refugee women in gaining access to education and advocating for their basic rights. She was also a university instructor, teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) through a project funded by the U.S Embassy. Both roles, working with foreign powers and championing women’s rights, made her a visible target.
Meanwhile, Tamana’s husband, a general surgeon specialist, was also a women’s rights activist. These activities in a country where women have no rights were not acceptable to the Taliban. With the Taliban regaining power, the threats intensified. Tamana, her husband, and their two children were forced to leave.
Tamana says that she and her family were fortunate in that their journey to Canada was possible through the support of some truly remarkable individuals. “The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton played a significant role offering their support and assistance in every step of the way,” she said, “I'm also deeply grateful for my brother-in-law, and our family friends for their generosity and commitment to help us believe in ourselves and keep us going during the most challenging times.”
She and her family made it safely to Canada. But safety came with its own set of challenges. Starting over in a new country meant learning how to rebuild a life from the ground up. Tamana and her family have experienced firsthand the obstacles most newcomers face, particularly in finding stable employment and affordable housing.
Her husband, a highly trained general surgeon in Afghanistan, encountered the all-too-common barrier of foreign credential recognition. Despite his qualifications and years of experience, he was told he would need to essentially start from scratch. It’s a quiet kind of loss that many newcomers face—not just the trauma of leaving home, but the painful reality that years of service, study, and professional identity may not be recognized or appreciated in their new country. Still, he has refused to give up. He has now started a nursing program, determined to continue serving in the healthcare field.
For Tamana, her past experience did open up opportunities. She began working as an early childhood assistant at the YMCA and then moved into her current position as a settlement counsellor with the YWCA. In this role, she supports newcomer women and gender-diverse individuals who are new to the area and settling in the community. This role allowed her to coordinate the city’s first mental health program for Afghan women, a project she describes as one of her best experiences to date.
Her work has also led her to speak to newcomer youth and adult learners about cultural integration, leading workshops and conversations that bridge Canadian and Afghan cultural perspectives. Alongside her professional contributions, Tamana has invested in her own growth, completing two short-term Canadian communications and career preparation programs at Toronto Metropolitan University and Mohawk College.
Most recently, she joined the Home, Movement, and Migration program at McMaster University, continuing her lifelong commitment to learning, community, and resilience.
Tamana’s story is not just one of survival but of purpose—of rebuilding a life with courage, of using her voice to help others do the same. She and her husband embody the strength it takes not only to flee danger but also to start again with dignity and to give back to a new community, even when the path forward is uncertain.