Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi’s story: A journey of survival, sacrifice and service

I was born in Ghorband and grew up in Pul-e-Khumri in the north of Afghanistan – a region that’s rich in natural resources like gold, gas and diamonds, but home to some of the poorest communities in the whole country.  

Jobs were scarce and my father struggled to find anything locally. He often worked away from home and so from an early age, I was responsible for supporting my sisters and mother.  

At the age of eight, I became a street child, doing whatever I could to make a bit of money – selling cold water in the summer, loading lorries with melons or peddling goods on the streets.  

As I got older and stronger, I’d do building work, collect firewood or carry buckets of drinking water to remote highland villages. But despite all this, there was never enough food to go round. 

Six of us lived in a dark room – small, no light, no toilet, no shower. I was going to school on an empty stomach. 

Hungry or not, I was good at my lessons – hardworking and very independent. At the age of 18, I secured a scholarship to study in Russia. After three years in Russia, I was forced to return to Afghanistan, which had imposed compulsory military service. I served in the military for four years, but I was committed to continuing my education. I eventually moved to Ukraine, where I spent almost a decade as a student.  

Dr Nasimi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law and Social Science from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2024.

Life in Ukraine was hard – by this time, I had a young family and had to juggle my studies with shifts in steel factories and markets in order to feed my children. I returned to Afghanistan after completing my studies, but I knew I could not stay, 

Eventually, in 1999, we had no choice but to embark on the long, difficult journey to the UK. That meant navigating trails on foot, crossing dense forests and putting our lives in the hands of lorry drivers and people smugglers. The journey from Afghanistan to Dover took one year. 

Our first attempt, and we were discovered in the back of a lorry. But two weeks later, we tried again – my wife and my young children crammed into a cold, dark refrigerated lorry with three other families.  

By the time we got to the UK, we were short of oxygen and struggling to breathe. I remember banging on the lorry doors and being let out by border officials – then I lost consciousness for a while.  

That was the start of our life in the UK, where we became the first Afghan family to settle in Lewisham. We lived on very little, buying vegetables that would otherwise have been thrown away and the cheapest possible cuts of meat. I wanted to send as much money as possible back home to Afghanistan.  

Coming to a new society without any language skills or understanding of the culture, we had a real sense of isolation. But one of the things I like most about the UK is the tolerance, the mutual respect. 

Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi receives his MBE from King Charles in 2023.

Here, everyone can help shape society, even refugees like me. I felt that I had to do something – not just for myself and for my children, but for the entire Afghan and Central Asian community. So soon after arriving in Lewisham, I contacted my local MP and got the support I needed to set up a charity – the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA).  

We started by offering English classes and extra homework support to help Afghan families navigate life in their new country. But since then, we’ve grown dramatically and now provide a range of support to refugees from all over the world – from drop-in legal advice on housing, immigration and employment issues, to IT classes, monthly cultural events, empowerment programmes for women and internship schemes for university students.  

In the 27 years since ACAA started, we’ve helped families from 55 countries and run vital projects from Feltham to Liverpool. We were on the frontlines supporting the Afghan community in the UK during the evacuation in 2021. I haven’t had a holiday in 27 years!

The Afghanistan & Central Asian Association in its current Feltham location.

Looking back, I’m very proud of all we’ve achieved – especially the improvement in language skills and confidence among the Afghan diaspora in the UK. It makes all of my sacrifices worth it – you have to sacrifice to build a better future. I’m extremely proud of my four children, who are very successful in politics, education and law. I always knew I wanted to do something to help not just myself and my children, but also the entire refugee community.  

My message to the British people is very clear: we shouldn’t underestimate the contribution made by refugees. They’re a great asset – we should respect them, recognise their hard work and appreciate what they’re doing for society. 

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To learn more about ACAA, visit their website. 

If you have lived experience of displacement and are interested in sharing your story, you can learn more about our Storytelling Programme here.