The Memory Box Initiative: Seeking to Break the Cycle of Violence and Tragedy in Afghanistan First Edition March 2013 Published by: Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO) Translator Dari-English: Hadi Marifat Editor English: Hjalmar Jorge Joffre-Eichhorn Designer: Hamid Fidel Number of Copies: 500 Add: Kart-e -3, Kabul, Afghanistan Contact Number: +93 783 636 707 Email add: ahrdoafghanistan@yahoo.com/info@ahrdo.org Website: www.ahrdo.org Table of Contents  About AHRDO i Acknowledgement ii The AHRDO Memory Box initiative in Afghanistan 1 Tears Of Joy, Tears Of Pain 7 Happiness Lost 10 The Story Of Afghani 11 When Only Photographs Remain 13 The Story of Nik Bakht 14 The Well Of Death 16 The Story Of Pari Gul 18 One Fateful Day 19 The Story Of Pashtun 20 About Happiness 22 The Story Of Halima 23 A Story Of Never Ending Pain 26 The Story Of Nargis 27 A Mother›s Vision Blurred By Death 30 The Story Of Farida 31 About The Futility Of Using Words To Describe War 33 The Story of Mah Jan 35 Questions About The Nature Of War 37 Rahima’s Story 38 Victims Of Jihad 40 The Story of Ramazan Ali 42 A Survivor Of The Mazar-e- Sharif Genocide 43 Suhaila’s Story 45 When Homes Turn Into Graveyards 46 The Story of Shirin Gul 47 The Girl Who Took On The Role Of Her Father 49 The Story Of Alia 52 A Wedding Ceremony That Never Took Place 53 The Story Of Sarwar’s Mother 54 The Tearful Eyes Of A Young Woman 55 The Story Of Karima 57 About Crime And Punishment 58 The Story Of Mah Parwar 60 Hope Betrayed 61 The Story Of Mahnaz 62 The Trauma Of Rebuilding A Shattered Existence 64 The Story Of Negar 66 There Is Nothing Holy About War 67 The Story of Safura 68