Feed the Hungry,Warm the Cold-Support Afghanistan

As I walked in the streets of Kabul city, I could not believe the immense poverty that is being so vividly visible. Besides the colorful and high tower hotels and wedding halls - that stand as tall princes of the city, you will definitely see 2-3 or more devastated daily workers, young, middle aged and old men, tin, poorly dressed, with their karachi (the locally hand made caddie) ready to take any job from carrying heavy boxes, construction material or even food items to go and dig a well, or join a masonry job; and a group of several kids 5 to 13 years old selling small items. The aim of all is the same - to get some bread for their family's dinner.

Over 80% of Afghanistan population cannot afford to buy food, and one in two persons cannot afford a very basic breakfast, lunch or dinner. They might eat once in 24 hours in order to survive.    

Raqib (a given name) the father of 5 children has been working as a masonry for the last 10 years. After finishing his school in Baghlan province he came to Kabul in search of a job, however with deterioration of security and increase of poverty he could not find any job other than mason. With this job (which is not even full time) he is hardly able to meet the ends for the necessary expenses of his family - particularly payment of rental of his house and meeting expenses of medicine for his old mother (who lives with him) and his own kids.  Two of his boy children (9 and 11) are attending the school for street working children in Karte char district of Kabul city. Both boys work on the streets to help their father with the monthly income - selling pens and notebooks on the streets as well as other small items. 

This family was selected to be one of the beneficiaries of the winterisation support program provided by AfD from 2022.  Thanks to the donations of our dedicated donors, during the last two winters, his family received two food packages, and winter supplies (a sack of coal for each winter) that enabled them to pass the cold winter season.  We hope that your donations will further help the family of Raqib and many others who require assistance during the upcoming winter.

Action for Development (AfD) is dedicated to supporting vulnerable families who suffer in poverty. Our focus further deepen towards the children who are working on the streets and are the sole providers for their families and are forced to work on the streets to survive and help their families survive.

In line with this mission, AfD undertook a winterization project aimed at providing assistance  300 families (nearly 2100 persons) in 2 provinces:

• 210 families in Kabul province: 190 of these were families of street working children and the remaining 20 were the families of widows with children under 6 years old, families with disabled members.
• 90 families in Parwan province: 30 of these were families of street working children and the remaining were the vulnerable families of disabled, widows or those in immense need of support.

During the month of December 2023 a rapid assessment was conducted to identify the needs and priorities of the families. During the survey we the dire situation of families with disabled and little children, as well as of those whose children spend the days on the streets were identified.  To ensure equitable distribution and effective targeting of resources, AfD categorized families based on their needs and distributed color-coded cards at distribution centers in Kabul. Subsequently, the team identified essential materials for distribution, including rice, oil, flour and coal, recognizing the economic challenges these families encounter, rendering them unable to afford basic necessities like food and heating fuel during the harsh winter months. The families in the more rural areas preferred to receive the four and oil mentioning these items as the core survival for them, however those closer to the urban settlement preferred to also have heating materials added to the kits. As per these categorizations the team divided the support items.

Distribution of the winterization kits took place on January 2nd and 3rd, 2024, in Kabul  and on 20-22 January in Parwan. The kits to be provided to the families:

1)    Families of street working children received 3 items: 10 kilograms of rice, 5 liters of cooking oil, and 49 kilograms of coal

2)    Families of widows and disabled received 2 items in larger quantity: 50 kg of flour and 20 liter of cooking oil.

The winterization aid provided by AfD proved to be a lifeline for 300 families in Kabul and in Parwan Provinces.

These provisions were distributed among families facing significant challenges, including those with disabilities, vulnerability, and widows who are struggling to make ends meet during the cold winter season. Through this initiative, AfD aims to alleviate the hardships faced by vulnerable families, ensuring they are better equipped to withstand the challenges posed by the harsh winter weather.