KABUL (SW) – The severe winter in Afghanistan amid the worst humanitarian crises has made life difficult for millions, particularly the displaced families.
Due to the long wars, drought, poverty and other factors, many families have been forced to leave their homes and many others have settled in the capital Kabul hoping for a better future.
A number of displaced families who have come to the capital from the provinces say that they are without a guardian and are facing the risk of death in this cold winter.
Siah Moi is one of the displaced women from Kunduz in Kabul who had been suffering about his bad economic situation. According to her, she spends the night fearing that she might lose her children to hunger.
“When the war broke out in Kunduz, we came to Kabul with our family. My 20-year-old son, who was the sole breadwinner of the family, was martyred there. I used to go to people’s houses and wash their clothes; But now there is no work and no one wants me to work in their house. My seven-year-old son works for 30 afghanis a day and we pay 4,000 afghanis a month for rent. But we have not paid the rent for two months. We don’t have wood or coal, my children collect small pieces of wood from wood stores and heat the house with it. But it can’t be done that way for long.”
Adele, who came to Kabul from Herat, said that she has nothing to heat her house and her husband works as a manual laborer in the city.
“Our situation is very bad these days and nights, we have no heater or gas to heat the house, my children are very cold in this cold. We have only two blankets at home and no one helps us. I ask the current government to help us.”
10-year-old Islamuddin is also one of the displaced people of Herat in Kabul, who at this young age bears the burden of life: “I get very cold in this winter. No one else works except me. Six months ago, when my one-year-old brother died, my mother and two sisters left the house and it is not known where they are now. My father is also an addict.”
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has started the process of rounding up beggars in the country.
Although many beggars, including women, girls and children, have been rounded up and they are also given some monthly salary, but still a number of them are seen in the city begging.
Qudratullah, an 11-year-old child who begs in the Kherkhana area, said: “Here, I serve Esfand fragrance for money, our situation is very bad and our house is cold. It has been three months since the Islamic Emirate got my biometric and said that they will give me three thousand afghanis per month. But so far they have not helped me and I have to go back to the street for begging”.
Officials at the Ministry of Economy acknowledge the problems of the displaced people this winter and say that they are trying to provide the people with work.
Abdulrahman Habib, the spokesman of the Ministry of Economy, told Salam Watandar that according to the statistics nearly 70% of the people are facing extreme hunger and poverty. According to him, recent floods, earthquakes, fires and cold winter have made it worse for them.
“What is very important to us is providing people with work. We should work on basic projects and have domestic productions, which will provide people with work. Our focus is more on business, which can reduce unemployment in the country.”
ENDS
