The Facebook Comment That Built a Future: How strategic support unlocks refugee potential
The Facebook Comment That Built a Future: How strategic support unlocks refugee potential
Maiwand, a refugee from Afghanistan, now owns a pizzeria in Tirana. His path to self-reliance was supported through legal assistance, professional coaching and access to vocational training under EU-funded EU4migration project.
Have you ever imagined that a single comment on social media could completely rewrite a person’s future? That one message, buried among thousands, could pull someone from despair and plant them in a new life?
This is the story of Maiwand, a refugee from Afghanistan who now proudly calls Albania home.
His journey began far from the Adriatic coast. As a boy in Afghanistan, he started working at the age of 12, learning tailoring for four years before opening his own small shop. Hard work wasn't a choice; it was survival.
In 2011, he left for Dubai, chasing better earnings to support his family. Over the next decade, he hustled through bakeries, pizza shops, and restaurants, mastering kebabs, rice dishes, and his beloved Afghan specialty, Kobli Palau. By 2020, he had achieved his dream: his own kiosk franchise, Potato Hut.
Then COVID-19 struck. For six long months, his business earned nothing while rent piled up. Everything collapsed. The city that had once promised opportunity became a trap of endless stress. Maiwand knew he could not return to Afghanistan.
One desperate evening, scrolling through Facebook, he saw a post from Albania’s Prime Minister welcoming Afghan refugees. Among the thousands of comments, one stood out: an Afghan living in Albania had written, “Albania is the best place on earth to live.”
Those words hit Maiwand like sunlight through storm clouds. After months of uncertainty, it felt like a small signal that safety might still exist somewhere. With no possibility of returning to Afghanistan and little left to hold on to in Dubai, he gathered what he had.
“I didn’t know the language, the country, or even the currency,” Maiwand recalls with a smile. “I just came.”
He arrived in Tirana in 2021. After a brief recovery from health issues, he visited Lezhë,a small town in northern Albania just minutes from the Adriatic Sea,where the kindness of the people, the familiar rhythm of four seasons, and the sight of other Afghan families starting over convinced him that this was where he would stay.
The initial months were lonely. He felt isolated, watching Albanians dance at summer concerts while he stood on the sidelines.
But just as the challenges began to feel overwhelming, the tide began to turn later in 2021. Support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, arrived at exactly the right moment, offering Maiwand what he needed most: stability. It began with the essentials, an allowance toto help him partially cover the rent for an apartment, , along with utilities, slowly rebuilding a sense of safety and routine in his daily life. This foundational safety net finally allowed him to catch his breath and focus on the future.
With UNHCR's support, Maiwand enrolled in Albanian language classes and received legal assistance to navigate the complex asylum process, obtain his permit to remain in the country, and secure his ID and travel documents. He was also supported with psychological and medical services.
EU-supported cooperation with UNHCR and national partners strengthens asylum systems and supports refugee inclusion, enabling pathways toward independence and participation in host communities.
In October 2025, with support from the European Union through the EU4Migration project, implemented by UNHCR together with its NGO partner, Refugee and Migrant Services in Albania, Maiwand began receiving professional coaching, which helped him understand his career options and gave him a sense of direction, essential for becoming self-reliant and contributing to the community that had welcomed him so warmly. Through the same EU-supported project, he also started a cooking class and began learning computer skills.
For the first time, it felt like someone was not just giving him aid but genuinely investing in his potential. This tangible support sent a powerful message: his experience mattered, and he had a future worth building.
Building on this, with renewed confidence he took the leap. Today, he co-owns a bustling pizzeria business in the center of Tirana with his partner, Renato. He arrives early to prep fresh ingredients and cleans everything to become spotless from the night before -a habit of pride. Throughout the day, he crafts pizzas and sandwiches, greeting customers with a warm, easy smile and the Albanian phrases he’s mastered.
“Our goal is to provide a foundation for refugees to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity. The true measure of success is when a refugee can stand on their own. This is why we focus on inclusion through language classes, legal assistance, and skills training. Those who have been forced to flee bring with them their cultures, their unique experiences, and their hope, which may make any community stronger and more vibrant. “It is an investment in their future,” says Toshitsuki Kawauchi, UNHCR Representative in Albania.
Maiwand participates in a culinary vocational training supported by the European Union under the EU4Migration project and implemented by UNHCR and its national NGO partner.
The change in Maiwand is profound. Where he once felt utterly alone, he now feels part of a community. Now he stands entirely on his own. And every lek earned brings him closer to his goal: reuniting with his wife, an expert tailor and their seven-year-old daughter, Ada, “the light of my eyes,” who are still in Afghanistan.
“When they come,” he says, eyes shining, “it will bring me more luck. We will rebuild everything together. In Albania, I feel safe and respected. I see a place where my daughter can study, grow, and follow her dreams.”
His message to other refugees is simple and powerful:
“Just believe in yourself. We have skills, dreams, and strength. With a little support and a lot of heart, we can create something good.”
One day, while walking the bustling streets of Tirana, you might catch the warm, irresistible scent of fresh pizza drifting on the breeze.
Follow it.
It will lead you to a small place called Renato’s.
Order a pizza. Any pizza. Because every slice is made with love—the fierce, grateful love of a man who lost everything twice and still chose to believe in tomorrow and of a dreamer who turned a single Facebook comment into a whole new beginning.
This story of resilience and integration was made possible through the support of the European Union, UNHCR and its national NGO partners.
Part of the support was provided through the EU4Migration a four-year, EU-funded project implemented jointly by UNHCR and IOM in partnership with the Government of Albania. The project works to strengthen Albania’s asylum and migration systems in line with EU standards, enhance the quality and efficiency of asylum procedures, and support refugee inclusion by providing professional coaching, access to vocational training, digital literacy courses and financial skills development, helping people gain the tools they need to participate fully in the communities that welcomed them.
