A Polio-Free Future: Shahabuddin’s Greatest Hope
For the past decade, a young man has stood on the frontlines of the fight against polio-committed to ensuring that no child in the Karamar area of Asadabad district, Kunar province, is denied their dreams of a brighter future.
Kunar, Afghanistan – The morning light had barely spread when Shahabuddin prepared the vaccine carrier, vials, ice packs, and other essential supplies before setting out for his day’s work.
The streets of the Karamar area in Asadabad city, Kunar province, were gradually filling with people. There, beside a mosque, a site was designated for polio vaccinations, where parents brought their children to be immunized.
Shahabuddin hangs a polio vaccination site banner on the wall, renewing the commitment he made ten years ago.
As a teenager, he had witnessed a neighbour’s child in his village fall ill with polio, an illness that left the boy permanently paralyzed.
The incident left such a deep mark on Shahabuddin that it changed the course of his life: “I decided to play my part in securing a safer future for the children of my community,” he recalls.
That decision compelled him to step onto the frontlines of the fight against polio.
Other team members soon arrive; one colleague organizes the registration sheet, while another uses a loudspeaker to announce and urge parents to bring their children to the vaccination site.
Shahabuddin opens the vaccine carrier, takes out a vial, and gently places two drops into the mouth of a three-year-old child cradled in his father’s arms. He repeats to himself: “Two drops – a healthy future.”
Shahabuddin administers polio vaccine drops into the mouth of a young girl © Polio Free Afghanistan / 2025
His colleague marks the child’s little finger with a marker. The child, delighted, gazes intently at the coloured finger before heading home with his father.
The hours of the day pass slowly as groups of children arrive with their parents — some laughing, others crying — yet the line never stops moving.
With each child he vaccinates, Shahabuddin envisions a world of dreams for them, dreams of play, of learning, and of a brighter future.
For this reason, he never feels tired. “The best moment for me,” he says, “is when, after vaccinating children, I see the reassurance in their parents’ eyes, knowing their child is being protected.”
For him, neither the hardships of the weather nor the pressures of daily work matter. What matters most is that no child is left without vaccination.
“My colleagues and I stay at the vaccination site until the end of the day during every campaign. When families cooperate and bring their children for vaccination, our work becomes much easier,” Shahabuddin says.
He also speaks about his greatest hope, saying: “My greatest hope is to see the day when this dreadful disease is eradicated from Afghanistan, and our children grow up free from paralysis.”
He believes that this is not only the job of health workers but also a shared responsibility of the whole community.
His message is simple and clear: “If people support the teams and vaccinate their children regularly, this dream can be achieved.”
A father who arrived with his two children says: “When polio paralyzed a child in our neighbourhood, I realized how important vaccination is. Now, in every campaign, I bring my children regularly to be vaccinated.”
This belief is the bridge that creates an unbreakable bond between the team and the community.
After vaccination, Shahabuddin marks a young girl’s little finger with a marker © Polio Free Afghanistan / 2025
As the afternoon sun casts long shadows, the vaccination site gradually grows quiet. Shahabuddin and his team vaccinate the last child, a boy holding his father’s hand.
After receiving the two drops and having his finger marked, the child smiles — and that smile is the sweetest reward of the day for the team.
The final lines of the registration sheets are filled, the vaccine carriers are closed, and the team holds a short discussion to plan for the next day.
Shahabuddin believes in persistence, he knows that the fight against polio can only succeed through patience and the support of the people.
His years of dedication have borne fruit: in the streets of Karamar, many more children are now safe from the threat of paralysis and are stepping confidently toward the future.
Parents play a vital role in this journey: when they vaccinate their children, they open the doors to a safer future for them.
It is these steps that bring about great change, until every child in Afghanistan is safe from the threat of polio.
At the end of the day, Shahabuddin heads home. As the daylight slowly fades and the shops and houses of the city light up, he repeats in his mind the phrase that sums up his work: “Two drops – a healthy future.”
