A Kabul bus station: the main departure point towards Pakistan and Iran. This is where many young Afghans embark on their clandestine journeys to Europe. Kabul, Afghanistan, December 2011.

the flowers of afghanistan: stories of afghan children seeking refuge in europe

A photographic investigation by Alixandra Fazzina into the causes and effects of an increasing number of Afghan minors making the hazardous overland journey to apply for asylum in EU member states.

A third of all the world’s refugees are from Afghanistan. The Russian Occupation, Warlordism, Taliban rule and the War on Terror have left an estimated five million people displaced beyond the country’s borders. Three decades of conflict have left a shrinking humanitarian space and as poverty and insecurity in the region worsen, a new generation is looking further afield in search of a better life.

As the recipient of the 2010 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award for her work documenting the often-overlooked humanitarian consequences of war, photographer and author Alixandra Fazzina’s newest reportage portrays the individual stories of Afghan children on the move. Following the Flowers of Afghanistan on their clandestine routes from Asia to Europe, the work intimately explores the motives, paths and significance of this new exodus.

So far, Alixandra has been in Greece, she is currently in Turkey and is on a regular basis reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan, where she is based. Her journey will take her to Iran, Italy, France, Belgium, and the UK.

To stay updated on her whereabouts and new stories, click the different links below:

www.noorimages.com/projects/flowersofafghanistan/

theflowersofafghanistan.com

www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flowers-of-Afghanistan/183924735030658

twitter.com/alixfazzina