IN AFGHANISTAN, IN TWO MONTHS, WE PROVIDED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO MORE THAN 2,000 FAMILIES PLAGUED BY DROUGHT AND ECONOMIC CRISIS
Published: Aug 29, 2022 Reading time: 3 minutes
It has been more than a year since the political situation in Afghanistan changed, and the Taliban took power. However, it is not only political strife that is plaguing the country but also, for the second year running, a severe drought, which is one of the leading causes of the food shortage that affects up to 95% of Afghans. We have been working in Afghanistan for over 20 years, trying to meet the food needs of as many people as possible. In the last two months, we have supported around 2,000 families with financial distributions worth over $316,000. Read the stories of those who have received financial support from us.
The biggest problem is funding for basic food
Families in Afghanistan are large. In 2019, the country's number of children born per woman was 4.2. We are providing financial support to the most vulnerable; this funding can be used to buy what goods a family needs most. In Dawlat Abad district, for example, we supported Mohmmad and his family of seven. A bomb blast blinded the sixty-five-year-old man. "I am very grateful for the kind support, which has solved our main problem because we have been without basic food for almost a year," says Mohammad, who lives with his family in a house without water and electricity. Mohammad's wife and daughter are sick, and our financial support will help them during their time off work.
"The economic crisis is affecting everyone, with almost three-quarters of the population needing some form of acute assistance," says Jitka Trachtová, our aid coordinator in Afghanistan.
"What I want most is to find a good job to support my family and for my children to go to school," says Ghulam, whose family has eight members.
Thirty-eight-year-old widow Rahila, who takes care of her five children alone, also wants education for her children. Deaf-mute Rahila uses the money to buy food for her children. "She is suffering from her poor economic situation and is very worried, so she has high blood pressure. But after receiving the money, she is sure she will feel better for at least a month," her sister said.
We have provided Ghulam and Rahila in Dawlat Abad with cash to help them buy food for their families.
Most of all, I would like peace and tranquillity and lots of job opportunities for all poor people.
Even though Karima has a university degree, she finds it difficult to find work. Her father has health problems—he cannot walk, so Karima has to take care of the whole family of 12. "I'm very grateful to PIN and its workers who have helped us in our time of need when most people are out of work," she says. Karima uses the cash to buy flour, rice and other staples that will cover her family's needs for two months. "What I want most is peace and tranquillity and lots of job opportunities for all poor people," she adds.
This aid would not have been possible without the generous support of the people who donated to our SOS Afghanistan appeal and our Club of Friends. We are also able to help thanks to the support of EU ECHO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and the Humanitarian Fund for Afghanistan, which is managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
