Page 29 - Time Magazine-November 05, 2018

The seven children in their
makeshift home classroom
on Oct. 11. From left: Aman,
Mangal, Rabia, Marwa,
Shafiqullah (at rear), Abdul
Rashid (in wheelchair) and
his twin Bashir. Abdul Rashid,
who aggravated one of his
wounds while wrestling with his
brothers, was the only one yet
fitted for prostheses. Aman was
waiting for his to be repaired,
after breaking it playing

so extensive that amputations were needed just to had been fitted with prosthetic limbs. Each came
stop the bleeding.” with a new pair of sneakers. After their first day
Marwa, 4, whose mother and twin sister were of training, Bashir cried as he handed his new leg
killed in the blast, lost part of her right leg. So did back so technicians could adjust it before his next
Aman, 5; Rabia, 7; and Mangal, now 8. Bashir, now9, visit. Alberto Cairo, head of the ICRC’s orthopedic
losthisleftlegbelowtheknee.Histwinbrother,Abdul program, says it was “very exceptional” to see so
Rashid, lost both legs below the knee. Shafiqullah, many injured from one family. All seven have since
12, had both legs amputated above the knee. Four of had prostheses fitted, some by a separate NGO.
the boys were Hamisha Gul’s own sons. One, Aman, Learning to walk again had a positive effect on the
was his grandson. For a month, Hamisha Gul slept on children. “Since they have their legs, they are much
the floor of a ward where his boys were being treated. more happy,” Hamisha Gul said in August. “They are
His granddaughter and niece stayed upstairs in the eating more than they have in a long time.” Their
women’s ward. Each morning the nurse would come recovery continued into the fall, and settled into
to clean and re-bandage their wounds. Hamisha Gul a routine. They studied together in the mornings
would go from bed to bed trying to comfort them as and played outside in the afternoons. The children
their raw wounds were rinsed and as surgical drains realize now their education is more important than
were pulled from between the sutures. Their cries ever. “There is certain work we can’t do now,” Abdul
echoed around the room. Rashid told TIME. Hamisha Gul put it more bluntly:
The days passed slowly as their wounds began “Without education, they are nothing.”
to heal. Hamisha Gul would bring toys from the ba- Soon after the incident, village elders told the
zaar for the boys to play with on their hospital beds. Taliban what happened. They said fighting around
Shafiqullah, eager not to fall behind at school, would their homes has since decreased, but it hasn’t stopped
study. Eventually it was time to leave. Abdul Rashid, completely. Two months after the explosion that
one of the last to be discharged, called home on injured the Ibrahim Khil family, an army explosive
May 31 to speak to his twin brother. “We are coming ordnance disposal team destroyed another RPG that
now,” he said, “and we are coming with happiness.” fell behind the house. Young neighbors had found
After they left the hospital, the extended it. Before the team departed, Hamisha Gul, who
family would travel by taxi regularly from home had been watching from a neighboring compound,
to the International Committee of the Red Cross’s called for their attention. As he approached them, he
orthopedic center in Jalalabad—first, for the injured stretched out his hand and gingerly presented them
to learn how to use crutches, and then to be fitted with a grenade. He found it while walking home to
with prostheses. By August, the five single amputees his family. •
78 Time November 5, 2018