"Now I can afford my wife's treatment," says Sayed. We supported 3,840 families with cash in central Afghanistan
Published: Sep 20, 2023 Reading time: 4 minutes
20 years of conflict have denied most villagers in Yousef, central Afghanistan, access to even the most basic living facilities. Consequently, many villagers are forced to send family members to neighbouring countries to find work.
Sayed Sher Aqa (70) lives with his five family members in Yousef, a village in Ghazni Province, central Afghanistan. Sayed walks with the help of a cane because he has a ruptured lumbar disc. His injury makes it difficult for him to work on his farm. Furthermore, flash floods hit his land last year during the summer, destroying his harvest. He has two sons who left the country and migrated to Iran for work to support their families.
Last year, heavy summer rains caused flash flooding that hit many farms, destroying 70% of the crop locally.
We cannot work our fields because of our disabilities
Some of the villagers left Yusuf and moved to Ghazni City for work, but they returned due to a lack of opportunities. Now, most survive by borrowing from local shops, relatives, and friends. "After the destruction of my farming lands, I did not have any source of income here, and I have no option but to borrow from my relatives and friends living in Kabul, Iran, and other places. I was also planning to leave the village and move to Ghazni City. I thought that we might find better opportunities for my sons, but they could not find any jobs. So, we returned to our village, and after a short period, I sent my two eldest sons to Iran," says Sayed.
Sayed worked with his wife in farming their land in the past. However, they both have spinal problems, and neither can work their fields. "This assistance was crucial and at a very appropriate time for us because now I can bear the expenses of doctors and medicine for my wife and myself and cover my family's most important daily expenses," says Sayed.
The assistance will help my wife to stand again
Recently, Sayed Sher Aqa was selected for support with 11,110 Afghani ($140) within our project funded by the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF). Together, we provided Sayed with cash for non-food items (NFIs) to buy essential living materials. "People in Need staff surveyed our villages, and I was selected to receive cash for non–food items. I received the money, and I will spend it on my wife's treatment because she cannot move or stand," says Sayed Sher Aqa.
With Afghan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) funding, we provide non-food item (NFI) cash assistance for over 3840 households: 529 female- and 3311 male-headed households in Ghazni, Jaghatu, and Malistan districts of Ghazni Province. We provided each chosen person in the project with 11,110 AFG ($140) cash per person. According to interviews with supported people, 89% of recipients primarily used the cash assistance for non-food Items. This helped cover their essential non-food items needs and allowed them to use their remaining savings for urgent priorities like food, health, and shelter.
Over four decades of conflict, instability, and natural disasters left Afghanistan one of the most vulnerable countries regarding emergency needs. According to the UNOCHA Report, 10.9 million people needed Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI), and 16.2 million needed protection assistance.
