Health experts consider the ages of 11 to 14 to be the most critical stage of physical development. However, in Afghanistan, most girls at this age lack access to balanced and high-quality nutrition. Girls face not only economic hardships but also challenges caused by limited awareness, harmful traditional beliefs, and family neglect.
Flash floods in mountainous areas occur as a result of heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, and the steep slopes of valleys. In recent years, however, climate change has intensified these events and shortened response times. In the provinces of Kapisa and Panjshir, flash floods have recently caused significant damage to infrastructure and posed serious threats to residents’ lives, raising concerns about community preparedness and the effectiveness of early warning systems.
This research was conducted to assess access to health services situation in urban and rural areas of Afghanistan. The results, based on a survey of 1,136 citizens across 32 provinces, indicate significant differences between urban and rural areas in terms of access, quality of services, and availability of medicines. Findings suggest that rural residents face greater challenges in obtaining quality health services.
Shayesta, a 38-year-old mother of four children, says she cannot afford online classes for her daughter who has been deprived of education, “As much as we could afford, we enrolled her in online courses—once in a home-based school and in a religious school —but now our economic situation is weak, and we can no longer afford even these online classes. For now, she reviews her lessons at home.”
Reza Jafari, a 35-year-old from Daikundi who has been working as a volunteer in greening activities for the past year, says, “The main reason we turned to volunteer work was that everywhere we look in our country, unfortunately, the hills have been stripped of forests, and plants have disappeared due to people’s excessive use and population growth. A lack of public awareness has led people to overexploit mountain forests.”
This survey, conducted with the participation of 1,045 women from 29 provinces of Afghanistan, provides a comprehensive and detailed picture of women’s purchasing power, savings capacity, sources of income, and their economic limitations. The findings indicate that women’s purchasing power—especially among unemployed women—has declined over the past three years, and the economic crisis has had profound impacts on households.
Laghman is a province where most of its population earns their living through agriculture and natural resources. With its green mountains, natural forests, and flowing rivers, this province is considered one of Afghanistan’s most important agricultural and natural areas. Two major rivers in the province, Alishang and Alingar, are essential sources of life for the people.
Similarly, Zarifa, 22-year-old from Daikundi, says that her children were taken by her husband’s family after his death. She says, “After my husband died, they took my children. They said the children should grow up in their father’s house, and argued that I am young and might remarry, so it’s better for the children to stay with them. They took my children, and I could do nothing because I am a single woman.
A woman in Farah province has launched a small quail-farming business in an effort to reduce her economic dependence and play an active role in supporting her family’s expenses. Najiba Naji says she started raising quails with a small investment in a limited space inside her home.
The Afghanistan office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stated that one in every three people in Afghanistan cannot access to safe drinking water.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that the Earth’s climate has reached its most critical level in history.
With the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, the atmosphere in cities and along roads has changed. People’s movements to visit relatives and friends increase, and the
