Fleeing Afghanistan alone as a child

In 1999, Waheed Arian left his family in Afghanistan to seek refuge in the UK. He was just 15.

He was escaping violence, poverty and the threat of being recruited as a child soldier.

He tells Vicky Farncombe about how a dream of one day becoming a doctor sustained him.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Dr Waheed Arian as a child. Credit: Dr Waheed Arian)