“Toyana” is a longstanding custom practiced in some parts of Afghanistan. It is a payment separate from the dower (mahr), in which an amount of money is determined or paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s family. Depending on customs and the circumstances of the families, this tradition can place a significant financial burden on the groom’s family and make the beginning of married life more difficult for young couples.
They emphasize that changes in behavior, isolation, hopelessness, and talking about death or having no purpose in life are among the signs that should not be ignored. Family support and timely access to professional help can be effective in preventing suicide.
For some women and youth in Nangarhar, beekeeping is not only a way to produce honey; it has also become a source of income to cover living expenses and create job opportunities for others. A number of beekeepers in the province say they have been keeping bees for years to earn an income for themselves and their families. They say that if more facilities, professional training, and better marketing opportunities are provided, they can increase honey production.
Simultaneously with the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, a number of victims of attacks on educational institutions in Kabul and their families say they are still suffering from the consequences of these attacks.
A number of students at Badakhshan University and employees of several offices in the province complain about limited or no access to safe drinking water and say they have to buy it, which puts an additional financial burden on them and creates other difficulties.
Consecutive droughts, declining rainfall, and drying water sources in Jawzjan have changed farming methods and the lives of farmers in the province. A number of women farmers in Jawzjan say they are striving to maintain their families’ food security and income by using drip irrigation, improving water management, establishing home gardens, and diversifying their agricultural production.
In recent years, online games have become a popular form of entertainment among youth in Afghanistan. With greater access to smartphones and the internet, online gaming has replaced physical games and exercise for some youth and has taken up a significant part of their time each day.
Farah Province has been one of Afghanistan’s major agricultural regions for many years. But today, parts of the province are clearly showing signs of a deepening water crisis. This crisis has placed a heavy economic burden on poor farmers. Drilling a deep well costs between 300,000 and 500,000 Afghanis, an amount that many rural families cannot afford.
A number of women interviewed by Salam Watandar complain about the challenges they face when giving birth at home and in health centers. For this report, 10 women aged 20 to 48 from eight provinces, all of whom had given birth at home or in a hospital during the past year, were interviewed. The findings show that these women faced challenges such as the cost of childbirth and medicines, long distances and a lack of transportation, shortages of health workers and facilities, bleeding and severe pain during home births, as well as inappropriate treatment and inadequate facilities in hospitals.
Obstetricians and gynecologists say endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. According to them, the disease can affect the ovaries and fallopian tubes, causing severe pain during periods, pelvic pain and, in some cases, infertility.
Consecutive years of drought in Ghor have left pastures with little fodder and forced many livestock owners to face high costs to feed their livestock. Some have also sold part of their livestock to keep the rest alive.
In a corner of her small, simple workshop, Farida carefully works on a new piece. The silence is broken only by the sounds of the tools she works with. The atmosphere reflects hard work, creativity and hope.
