In July 2021, I documented the realities for injured Afghan civilians at a hospital run by the Italian NGO, EMERGENCY in Kabul. This project shows difficulties faced as they recover from war-related injuries, with a focus on the stories of women and children who are often overlooked. Patients are frequently forced to travel for days to be treated, are left alone by family members, and when they return home, the stigma of disability and injury can mean they are unable to work or marry.
Pictures of explosions and blood are frequently used to dramatically depict war, but the calm moments inside hospitals, as patients start to heal, best convey how horrifying war is. I wanted to illustrate how long, lonely, and routine the recovery process is.
As time passed and I saw tragic footage of people trying to flee fill the airport, and now, a year later, the Taliban is still in power, this project has acquired a new significance. The project now includes a timeline of the month before the Taliban took power in addition to its original focus.
