Like any parents, Bibi* and Mohammad* want the best for their children.
“I dream of peace and steady work so our children can grow up and attend school to get educated and learn to read and write,” says Mohammad, who lives in Afghanistan.
But the reality is very different. The family is desperately poor and hungry.
And recently Bibi and Mohammad were forced into a heart-breaking decision.
Without enough money to feed their children, they gave up one of the newborn twins to a childless couple.
“We have nothing, so how could I take care of them both?” says Bibi.
“I suffered from having to split them up,” she says. “It was a very difficult decision, more than you could imagine. It was especially difficult to give the baby away because of poverty.”
Bibi intended to give her baby away without seeking any payment for the child. In the end, they received a small sum of money in exchange for the baby.
“I couldn’t afford milk, food, or medicine. With that money, I could buy food for half a year,” she said.
Drought
The family was displaced from their farm about seven months ago due to prolonged drought, which has devastated crops contributed to pushing millions to the brink of famine. It has been difficult for Mohammad to find work for even a couple of days a week.
When he does, a full day’s wage does not even cover two days of expenses for his family.
To supplement the family’s income, their oldest son, Hamdast*, 12, works in the local market as a porter.
“We need help, we are hungry and poor,” said Mohammad. “There are no work opportunities in Afghanistan. We only have bread for the children which is not always available.”
Cold and hungry
2021 has been a desperate year for Afghanistan’s children.
But now, widespread hunger and the onset of freezing winter weather are making things even worse.
Over the next three months, 1 million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition.
Donate now to support Afghanistan’s children
What we’re doing
It’s not too late to prevent disaster. With the right treatment at the right time, malnourished children can recover.
Working with communities and local partners, we’re supporting children in Afghanistan with:
- emergency treatment for malnutrition
- cash for families to buy food and other essentials
- blankets, warm clothes and shoes for families facing the extreme winter
- shelter materials, hygiene kits and kitchen supplies for families forced to leave their homes.
In the long term, we’ll support families to get back on their feet and help communities rebuild.
But with 5 million children one step away from famine, we need to ramp up our response now.
What you can do
It’s true – the crisis in Afghanistan is complicated, brought on by drought, conflict, economic collapse, Covid-19 and a health service on its knees.
But what matters right now is that we pull together and help Afghanistan’s children to make it through this.
That’s why, as a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee, we’ve joined forces with 14 leading aid charities to help children and families in Afghanistan cope through the winter and start rebuilding their lives.
Help children in Afghanistan get critical support this winter.
*Names changed
The image at the top of the page shows one of the loaves of bread that Hamdast brings for his family from the market where he works (Michal Przedlacki/Save the Children).
