The date that marked the lives of Mahdi and Tayeba is certainly 15 August 2021, the day when the city of Kabul passed under the rule of the Taliban. This event made it necessary for the entire Moshtaq family to flee their country. Before that time, Mahdi and Tayeba lived quietly in Afghanistan, lived with their family in the same condominium and were always in touch with their loved ones.
Tayeba grew up in Iran, but after marrying Mahdi she moved to Kabul, because he worked for NATO. Tayeba also worked, first in a hospital canteen, then in a canteen in a medical institution. After a while they decided to open a textile factory, which they managed together, until the day of the capture of Kabul. Meanwhile, the couple had two children, Narges, in 2014, and Amir, in 2017; the children were therefore very young when their flight from the country began. They first passed through Harat, continuing to Dubai and then arriving in Italy on 26 January 2022, where they were welcomed at the Sant'Anna oratory in Prato.
In his story, Mahdi repeats several times that they did not know exactly where they would be headed, but the only thing that mattered was to reach Italy, where they would then find what they now call their "second family". After completing all the procedures to obtain a residence permit, health cards and refugee status, having obtained the A2 level Italian certification and the eighth grade diploma, Mahdi began working at a Cooperative, while Tayeba took care of the children. In March 2023, Mahdi began an internship at a spinning company, which recently morphed into an open-ended contract.
In the meantime, the family entered Prato's Reception and Integration System (SAI) and moved into one of the circuit's residences. Despite the distance from the Don Bosco Centre in the city, they continue to attend the oratory. Tayeba, in fact, argues that for them it was not just a home, but a real home, also from an emotional point of view. Mahdi also reiterates that the most beautiful things, and for which they are most grateful, are the closeness and kindness of the people they have met along their way!
