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.
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.
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.
Despite the interest of some youth in learning foreign languages and digital skills, high fees at private educational centers have limited their opportunities to continue their education. They say that financial problems have caused them to temporarily stop their courses or face difficulties paying the fees.
A number of youth say that, for various reasons, they have not had the opportunity to learn certain academic and technical skills at schools and universities. However, through hard work and perseverance, they have acquired these skills through self-learning and, after gaining the necessary abilities, found jobs and started earning an income in the same fields. Salam Watandar’s interviews with 24 youth aged between 20 and 35 from six provinces of Afghanistan show that self-learning has helped them acquire various skills needed in the labor market.
With the start of the growing season this spring, the green slopes and mountains of Panjshir, Parwan and Kapisa once again saw large numbers of local residents heading into the mountains to collect mushrooms, rhubarb and other medicinal plants. For many families, these plants not only meet some of their food and medicinal needs but also provide a source of income.
It is nearly seven in the morning. A new day has begun in the streets and alleys of Kabul. People are gradually leaving their homes, and the streets are becoming busier. Amid these sounds, the loudspeaker of a mobile vendor can be heard from a distance. The sound gets louder as the vendor approaches, passes by the houses, and then disappears around a corner. As one loudspeaker goes silent, another begins.
Mass return of migrants, population growth, and the increasing number of university graduates is putting greater pressure on Afghanistan’s labor market while according to experts, the country’s capacity to create jobs and grow its economy is not aligned with the growing workforce. They say that if this trend continues, pressure on the labor market will increase, along with the risk of rising poverty and unemployment.
Akbar starts his work every morning at his greenhouse in Ghor by checking the cucumber plants and monitoring the irrigation system. He says that becoming familiar with drip irrigation through a radio educational program changed the way he farms and encouraged him to use the method in his greenhouse.
