On Forbidden lessons in a Kabul guesthouse by Suraya Sadeed

As a young adolescent and particularly when I was living in a boarding school of nuns I studied at we were often handed books on Missions in Africa and other war-torn countries and whenever I read those and what some of the women and men who were on those missions had to go through to either bring comfort or whichever was necessary I used to feel tremendously inspired by what they were doing but also encouraged to do something similar one day and devote my life to others in an unconditional way.

 

 

 

I ended up doing or attempting to do none of that until my eldest daughter unexpectedely passed way and I felt an undescribable urge to overcome a certain inner emptiness (how can something void be so painful) her untimely death brought about ... and I am in no way saying I was not happy with what I still had - all of those around me. The more I read about people who make a difference in people's lives the more I realise that there are quite a few, whose "spiritual journeys" are tied to loss and the need to get through what can be described as painful mourning processes and overcome those in a positive way - as if losing can be transformed into giving ...

 

 

 

"I needed to go to a land of pain and learn how people survived their losses - and by doing so I might learn how to deal with my own trauma dna mend my own hurt" - is what the author of this incredible book said to herself following the loss of her loving husband and upon having embarked on a risky journey to her homeland, Afghanistan, where she ended up making a huge difference in people's lives, especially ones of young adolescent women.

 

 

 

I can't help feeling now that I have finished reading the book that despite the fact that project I have launched in Cape Verde is not comparable to the one Suraya Sadeed is committed to in her homeland, and even if the conditions are totally different there are common aspects, particularly the one which has to do with them both having been launched following loss,  the loss of a beloved one.




"Sadeed's story is gripping and deeply inspirational. The book is a testament to the power of determination, advocating battling extremism with education and investing in human resources as opposed to military actions."