Head and Founder of Rayan Orphanage:
Shafiq Mureed (20260120)
 

Background:
Rayan Children is the vision of Afghanistan’s celebrated singer Shafiq Mureed and his wife Limah. Shafiq–himself a child who lost his father to war and forced into child labor on the frontlines of battles– was inspired by the tragic story of the Moroccan boy Rayan, who sadly lost his life after falling into a well. Though Rayan did not make it alive, his story gave life to so many other children.

Rayan Children is a holistic shelter, home for some of the most traumatized children who are either missing one or both parents to war, drugs or poverty. Most have been street beggars with years of traumatic experiences. At Rayan Children these children not only find a loving and caring home environment, but qualified staff to help heal their trauma and put them on track for personal growth and mental development. While most shelters and orphanages in Afghanistan provide basic food and housing, we at Rayan Children strive to introduce a new level of care through our Rayan Promise Program.
 

Amid reports since yesterday (20260119) about the closure of Rayan Children’s private orphanage in Kabul, which is managed by Shafiq Mureed, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has now said that it plans to merge all private orphanages with its own state-run facilities. Shafiq Mureed, head of Rayan Orphanage, said in a video message from his home in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday  January 17, 2026 that the center was shut down without prior notice. The children were transferred to government orphanages, while some were returned to their relatives. He said: “Without sending any official letter or notifying us, they transferred all the children along with all equipment to state-run orphanages. The only thing they told us was that this is an order from the Amir al-Mu’minin, that all private orphanages in Kabul must be closed.”Now, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs says that since the Islamic Emirate regained control, orphanages have been operating in all provinces, and to improve the care of orphaned children, those in private orphanages are being transferred to government-run institutions.

 

Samiullah Ebrahimi, Taliban spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs , said the authorities were seeking to transfer children from privately run centres into state-run orphanages under the ministry’s supervision. “In recent months, the ministry has been working to ensure the proper upbringing of these children,” Ebrahimi said. “Private centres that run classes or facilities for children without guardians are being merged into orphanages managed by the ministry so their needs can be addressed in a standardised way.”

He said around 60 orphanages are currently (2026) operating across the country, housing about 10,000 children.