"Financial assistance was crucial for me during a difficult time," says Mohammad, from Afghanistan.
Published: Jul 29, 2024 Reading time: 3 minutesMany people in central Afghanistan face job scarcity, droughts, and floods; often, they have experienced long-term conflict, prompting them to seek refuge in Iran and Pakistan. After years of separation and deportation, most of them have returned to their homeland, where they have struggled to provide for their families.
Mohammad Alam Hakimi (43) lives in Maidan Shahr district; he lives with his three children: a son and two daughters. After spending more than nine months in Iran, he returned to Afghanistan. "Life was extremely challenging, and the economic circumstances were unbearable. Debts and a lack of job opportunities obliged me to seek refuge in Iran, and so I did," says Mohammad Alam Hakimi.
Financial hardship and lack of job opportunities forced me to leave the country
"I was working as a labourer and could hardly afford my family's food needs, but after my wife's illness, I took a loan from my relatives for her treatment, but could not repay the loan, and I was obliged to leave the country," Mohammad Alam Hakimi recalls.
"I borrowed money from friends to immigrate to Iran. I worked in Iran for over nine months, sending money to my family every month. Unfortunately, I got arrested and sent back to Afghanistan. I returned with no money, even though I tried to go two more times but got caught each time," he describes.
Money for food and medical treatment
With support from Stichting Vluchteling, we provided cash to vulnerable returnees and host communities in Maidan Shahr, Jalrez, Markaz-e-Behsood, and Saydabad in central Afghanistan. "The PIN technical team surveyed all our houses, reviewed my immigration card, identified me as vulnerable and in need, and listed my name. Today, I received my cash, which amounted to 10,030 AFN, equivalent to $140," says Mohammad Alam Hakimi.
"This assistance was crucial for me during a difficult time," he shares. "I can now allocate the money into three parts: one for my family's essentials like oil, rice, wheat, and sugar; another for repaying a part of my loan instalment; and the last for my wife's medical treatment," he adds.Hundreds of thousands of returnees.
According to UNOCHA, since the implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, there has been significant movement of Afghan nationals returning home, with over 595,200 people crossing back via the Torkham and Spin Boldak border points as of early April 2024.
In 2024 alone, it is anticipated that over 1.4 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan will crossborders, exacerbating the already fragile humanitarian situation within Afghanistan.
Cash assistance to 9,951 people
With support from Stichting Vluchteling, we distributed multi-purpose cash assistance to 9,951 people, comprising 5,152 females and 4,799 males from both host communities and returnees in 4 districts and 68 villages in Central Afghanistan. Furthermore, we complemented cash distributions with House, Land and Property (HLP) rights awareness sessions for 1,245 people in Maidan Shahr, Saydabad, Jalrez and Markaz-e-Behsud to ensure host communities and returnees are informed about their rights and appropriate channels to address frequent disputes over te usage of land and water resources, a common problem identified during our assessments.
