“I have been teaching for three years; the factor that has made me depressed is that I am not working in my own field, and this situation has exhausted me mentally.” she says.
Chaman, a 35-year-old from Faryab, talks about the impact of this behavior on herself. She says, “These words have had a negative effect on my mental health. Hearing phrases like ‘A house without a son is not a house, it’s like a dark house’ makes us feel worthless and even fills us with anger.”
Rahmatullah, a 27-year-old from Kabul, says: “I have seen many educated and capable people doing hard labor because they could not find suitable jobs. There is widespread discrimination. Unqualified individuals are hired for positions they are not qualified for. I have personally experienced this favoritism.”
She added, “They did not allow my daughter to attend school. Even though my children are now grown, I have never had any real authority in their lives.”
Shahidullah Amin, 26-year-old and from Kunar, who has worked in goods transportation for three years, says, “The biggest challenges include customs delays, high costs, documentation issues, and sometimes a shortage of transportation vehicles. Yes, tax changes and incorrect paperwork slowdown our work.” He notes that in some cases, losses have occurred due to bad weather or transportation problems.
“My anemia became very severe; I had no strength to move. I received blood once or twice. It is because of poverty that I cannot go to the doctor. There were even days when we could not find bread to eat, and I spent the day drinking only water,” she said.
Farzana, 30 years-old also resident of Kunduz, said, “Loneliness and avoiding society have caused me anxiety and depression, and now I take antidepressants.”
Following the political changes in Afghanistan, small businesses have emerged as a key source of hope for women seeking financial independence. Interviews with 23 women reveal that while many rely on small loans to sustain themselves, for some, these loans also bring economic and emotional stress.
On Sunday night, 31 August 2025, a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, especially Kunar Province. The tremors were also felt in nearby provinces. According to reputable global seismic centers, the earthquake registered 6.0 on the Richter scale, which is relatively rare in Afghanistan’s history of natural disasters. Most districts of Kunar were affected, with the strongest shaking felt in Nurgal, Sawkai, Khas Kunar, and some other districts. This earthquake has been recorded as one of the deadliest in Afghanistan in recent years. As a result, around 2,200 people lost their lives, more than 4,000 were injured, and over 8,000 homes were destroyed.
Provinces like Badghis, Logar, and Kunduz are in an extreme crisis; Faryab and Maidan Wardak are severely affected, while Badakhshan is among the less affected provinces. Geographically, central provinces face high migration and land dryness, Northern provinces experience reduced production, and eastern provinces show limited coping responses.
This survey, conducted with the direct participation of 1,800 families and indirectly covering nearly 15,000 residents across 20 districts of Kabul, reflects the state of groundwater and people’s access to water in the city. The findings paint a worrying picture of the water crisis facing the Afghan capital.
Sabor Noori, a resident of Badakhshan, says that deforestation has surged in recent months, causing severe floods, soil erosion, and spreading desert-like conditions in parts of the province. He added, “Areas that used to be green and full of forests—which also helped keep floods in check, or as we Badakhshanis call it, reduced the ‘rocky water’—have sadly been destroyed. Beautiful plains and meadows are now turned into rocky, unusable land, and this makes floods even more damaging for the people.”
