A breath of life: Kholida's story

(Name changed to protect identity)

It was one of the hottest days of July. There are no voices heard on the streets of Bukhara, not even a rustle of leaves. There is no air conditioner in the house of 14-year-old Kholida, and her story has been equally stifling, a story that brings tears to her eyes, as she recounts.

This is the story of Kholida and her family.

“We were four sisters. Almost every day our parents fought. Our family struggled a lot from the lack of money. Dad yelled and beat mom over the years. My sister could not stand the beatings and fights anymore so she committed suicide at the age of sixteen. I was terrified, I got a squint and mental problems out of stress. I could not talk to anyone, could not breathe, and did not know how to live at all. I cannot describe my pain and my anger at my parents when I lost my sister".

After the marriage of her elder sisters, her father left for Russia to work and remarried.

He is not alone.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, about 2.5 million citizens are in labor migration, of which about 2 million are in Russia.

Soon, her father’s relatives kicked Kholida and her mom out of the house. They ended up on the street.

“It was terrible, I was scared and hurt …”, Kholida's eyes look down, her voice trembles.… I gave up. I did not want to live like this anymore. I tried to go to heaven with my sister, but I failed…”

A UNICEF study titled ‘Effects of migration on children of Uzbekistan’ shows that the absence of one or both parents creates disruptions and displacement in caregiving arrangements. Such children may face developmental, psychosocial, and emotional challenges. Psychologists and social workers have been working with Kholida for a year now. She feels much better.

“I am back to life. I help my mom with housekeeping. After my recovery, I have seen our house in a new light. The local government helped us to finish building and equip our house as well as to obtain documents. Now I have my own cozy room”.

Kholida is one of the girls, who was supported by the project ‘Protecting children affected by migration in the South-East, South and Central Asia’, funded by the European Union and UNICEF. She and her mom received financial support from the Makhalla committee and a district administration. Social workers and psychologists have helped the girl to strengthen her resilience and enhance her mental health and wellbeing.

The past year has brought fresh challenges due to COVID 19 pandemic and the quarantine restrictions that school interruptions and her mom lost her job, pushing Kholida’s mom to find a new way for earning money.

But they are hopeful, at least Kholida remains connected to school.

“To make me connected to online classes mom bought me a phone but still, it was very difficult to study because of unstable connections and a small screen.”