Zarlasht Halaimzai

Refugee rights advocate and writer

Zarlasht Halaimzai is the founder of Amna, the refugee healing network. Amna helps refugees heal from the trauma of war and forced displacement.

Why you should listen

Zarlasht Halaimzai is an Afghan-born British writer and founder of Amna.org. Forcibly displaced from Kabul when she was 11 years old, she arrived with her family in the UK at the age of 15. Halaimzai founded Amna (then called Refugee Trauma Initiative) in 2016 to help alleviate the suffering of people displaced by war and conflict. She is an Obama Fellow and, in 2021, the BBC selected her for its list of 100 Women, which celebrates exceptional women from around the world. Halaimzai writes for the Guardian Long Read.

Zarlasht Halaimzai’s TED Talk

Zarlasht Halaimzai
What it's like to be a war refugee
13 minutes 20 seconds
Living under the constant threat of violence has a lasting effect -- even after you escape from danger, says writer and refugee advocate Zarlasht Halaimzai. One of the millions of people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced by conflict, Halaimzai now helps others overcome the devastation of war. In this poignant, vital talk, she articulates the lingering trauma of being expendable -- and shares how belonging to a community can help bring back feelings of long-lost safety.
Posted Mar 2022

Zarlasht Halaimzai

Why you should listen

Zarlasht Halaimzai’s TED Talk

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