Growing Up, Part 1 : Hayat and Waheed

“What happens when the children grow up and leave the House?” 

We’d like to share with you a series of stories and pictures of some of the children who grew up in the House and are now young adults, making their way in the world. Many of the children in the picture above keep in touch with the teachers, staff and other children of the House of Flowers- their family- through phone calls, visits, and Facebook.

They often reflect back on their childhood at the House of Flowers, and get together with each other, even after being out of the House for several years. They are each others’ siblings. We are proud to say that they are working, studying, and contributing positively to their society. Here are two of them.

Hayat  came to the House in 2004 around age 7-8 and stayed until his late teens. He had a charming personality-cheerful, playful and always kind, and flashed a brilliant smile. In a recent Facebook post he wrote, “At the House of Flowers I learned about the world, and now I like to see all around the world!” So after finishing school, Hayat immigrated to Turkey and is now working in Istanbul.

(Click on a picture to get an enlarged view.)

Waheed  came to the House with his younger sister Maryam in 2002. She was about 5 and he was about 7. He was the consummate caring older brother, first to Maryam, and then as he grew older, to others in the House. He was always very responsible and studied hard. As a teenager, he was the first child of the House to go out and get a job, working at a local office while also taking computer classes. Today he is working as a house inspector in Kabul, and hopes to get married soon.