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Shah Mohammed had always been proud of his job. As a deminer, he had laboured hard for years, clearing over 300 mines and explosives across several southern Afghan provinces with his team.

He had loved going to work, helping his country to a better future until the day his job changed his life for the worse.

I just remember the blast, the pain, he said. I didnt think I would survive.

Mohammed, who is a father of six, spent the next year in hospital in neighbouring Pakistan, recovering from his landmine injuries

He survived, but lost his eyesight, his right leg and arm to the explosion. His face is scarred; much of his skin burned.

The accident happened 20 years ago, but recently Mohammed has found a new home in his native Kandahar, a southern Afghan province.

From a distance, Mohammed bin Rashid village looks just like any other place until its residents come outside their houses in the morning hours to catch up with each other or to go for walks. They are missing legs or arms, sit in wheelchairs or carry crutches, are blind or deaf

Home to 200 families, the village was built 15 years ago, under one condition: its residents had to be living with a disability; most of them injured over the past four decades of war.

Over the coming decade, 200 people living with a disability moved here, bringing their families and raising the population to about 1,800. More people are arriving still.

The spacious houses are clustered near the main road on one side, leading to the provincial capital, and a mountain backdrop on the other.

It was once deserted land. Now it keeps attracting increasing number of people, Mohammed said.

Kandahar, once the Talibans heartland, has seen heavy fighting over the past decades. In 2001, the first US bombs fell here; prior to that, the Soviets caused havoc.

Frequent attacks and explosions continue to shake up everyday life. With the US and the Taliban on the brink of signing a peace deal as early as the end of this month, people hope that levels of violence will ease that peace might come.

Throughout Afghanistan, about 1.5 million people live with a disability, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Each year, tens of thousands of prosthetics are provided to people of all ages.

With most of the national budget spent on security and defence, the countrys Ministry of Public Health receives little financial support for people living with disabilities, let alone to treat general health conditions. In the 35-million strong nation, only about $5 annually per person is set aside for peoples healthcare.

Mohammed bin Rashid, originally built with donations from the United Arab Emirates royal family, is the only village of its kind in Afghanistan and thats why its population is so diverse.

People have flocked here from far away provinces, seeking support and a place where they feel understood. Its a small Afghanistan, explained Dr Noor Ahmad, who heads the local clinic.

There are advantages of course. Residents have both a clinic and school for their children nearby and the village often attracts the attention of NGOs or local people wanting to help. The union and support between the residents is stronger than Ive seen anywhere else.

While the men meet and gather outside, women living with disabilities here are just like in many villages in conservative rural Kandahar kept behind locked doors inside their compounds.

Bibi Shirina, 42, is one of them. She lost her right leg in an explosion 13 years ago but says that, even if the war ends, her suffering will last a lifetime. A mother of seven, she has moved to what locals refer to as the village of the handicapped 11 years ago.

She pauses, then takes off her prosthetic leg, exposing a stump dotted with blood. It still hurts every day, she explained. I dont talk to anyone about my suffering, but there are other woman here who are going through the same pain. This helps me. Besides that, our children grow up around people who have faced difficulties. It teaches them compassion.

The village, she says, is trying to meet exactly those challenges people with disabilities have to face on a daily basis in Afghanistan. Because our community is strong, we help each other find jobs and support our children going to school, Shirina explained, who also works as a tailor.

While the initial ground level houses were donated - all built to accommodate different disabilities - the village has ever since functioned independently, without major support from outside.

Amruddin Gul, a 40-year-old amputee repairs motorbikes in the community. He has a small shop on the main road, attracting customers from all over the district. Hes never received a prosthetic leg, but is fast on his crutches.

I moved here from Badakhshan 14 years ago, he said, referring to a northern Afghan province deep in the Hindu Kush mountains about as far away from Kandahar as it gets. Life there was difficult, especially during the snowy winters. Here, its warmer and I live in a supportive community.

Mohammed bin Rashed opens its doors to new people every year, with the tight community slowly expanding. Every family is welcome - the only requirement we have is that one family member lives with a disability, explained Mohammed Ghani, 50, the villages elder.

He sits on a tricycle, having lost both of his legs in a mine blast. Maybe that makes us an exclusive community after all, he laughed.

In the early morning hours, Rashed sits outside on a mat as children walk past on their way to school and neighbours join him for a glass of green tea.

Life could have been different, he admitted. Better even! He used to be a tall man, carries a serious face and wears a traditional turban wrapped around his head. Still, I think weve made the best out of it. There is war everywhere around us, but our village our home is quiet and peaceful.

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Village of the handicapped: The Afghanistan community built for people with disabilities - Telegraph.co.uk