Habib FATAH
Age 58, father of 4 children aged 22, 19, 17, 10, Tajik and from Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan.
Arrived in Switzerland in October 1991, in Geneva since June 2004, naturalized in 2007. I studied until I obtained my baccalaureate in Kabul, then, at the time of the pro-Soviet government, I was forced to join the military service which lasted 3 years. After spending 9 months in the army, in the autumn of 1982, during the service, I had a serious accident that cost me 2 years in the hospital and almost 2 years in convalescence.
Finally at the end of 1984, I was cured with a severe handicap in my leg due to the loss of knee, skin, muscles and a shortening of 10 centimeters which is currently compensated by custom-made orthopedic shoes.
In 1985, I enrolled in the Faculty of Economics at Kabul University, but unfortunately, due to insecurity, war and living conditions, I was not able to follow this path. Thus, I was without professional activities for about 18 months. Then, I found a job at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as a steward and receptionist employee. The work was decent, but after the probationary period, the secret service of the pro-Soviet government prevented me from continuing. As a result, I was out of work for a few months. In 1987, I found a job at the Ministry of Planning and stayed there until the autumn of 1989.
Seeing the deteriorating situation, I fled Afghanistan with my family to Pakistan. We arrived in Peshawar at the end of 1989 and stayed there until 1991. In October of the same year, we joined our father, who had already been in Switzerland since 1987 as a political refugee.
Later, I finished business school in Lausanne in 1993. I worked in various companies in the canton of Vaud until the year 2000 until I found a stable job at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA in Geneva.
Currently, I hold a position as a Sales Coordinator "Pricing Coordinator". I like Switzerland and Afghanistan. I am very interested in the politics and culture of my adopted country and my country of origin as well as international politics.
I am active in the associative circles of Afghanistan based in Switzerland.
I really like swimming and traveling.