Abdul Samad Haidari was born in Dahmardah Village in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. He is a poet, writer, teacher and journalist. He fled his home country at the age of seven and grew up wandering in Pakistan and Iran as a child refugee separated from his family for most of his childhood. After the collapse of the Taliban government, Abdul returned to Afghanistan thinking that the security situation had improved, and that he could take part in the reconstruction of his war-torn country. With this in mind, Abdul served as a freelance journalist and humanitarian aid-worker in areas of the country that remained dangerous to civilians because of the influence of terrorist groups. Abdul served with the Norwegian refugee council (NRC), ActionAid Afghanistan, Daily Outlook Afghanistan group of newspapers, and The Daily Afghanistan Express. As a journalist, Abdul wrote articles and editorials about on-the-ground realities, which were then circulated widely. These had a particular focus on women and childrens rights, corruption, transparency and accountability in government, warlords and terrorist groups actions and the systematic persecution of minority groups in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Abdul was forced to flee Afghanistan for a third time on account of his journalism, his race and religious beliefs. He belongs to the minority Hazara ethnic tribe which has been under persecution for centuries. He fled and sought refuge in Indonesia where he lived as a ‘stateless’ refugee for nine years. Writing is his passion, and helping others his mission in life. He now lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.
