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İEmpowering
Widows |
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by Hler Gudjonsson in Herat
The regions surrounding Herat in western
Afghanistan are some of the poorest parts of the country. In addition
to the many conflicts that have been raging, there has been a persistent
drought for several years. Thousands of farmers have been forced to
leave their homes and large numbers of internally displaced people
are now almost totally dependent on food aid. The health situation
of the population is as serious as in other parts of the country,
with an improvement in health services greatly needed.
The ensuing poverty among the general
population, both in and around Herat is overwhelming. Nowhere more
evident than among the women in the community. More than 20 years
of war have left a lot of the menfolk dead and everywhere, one will
meet widows and children without fathers. The numerous natural disasters,
including several years of drought, have eaten away what meagre resources
families had. The Afghan Red Crescent in Herat
is running several programmes to assist those who are in need of help
- including the widows. They, the handicapped and the elderly, represent
the majority of the people being helped in Chari Mostofiat, where
the Red Crescent runs a relief centre assisting 15,000 people with
food. Many of these people have lost everything and live in extreme
poverty as they are unable to work for an income. What they receive
from the Red Crescent is often the only food they have. "I
have two sons but they have both gone to Iran as there was no work
for them here. I have nobody to help me. I work a little bit, helping
another family, but the salary is almost nothing," says Zalikh,
a 63 year-old widow," Things are tough now, but until recently,
they were even tougher. "During the Taliban rule, life was even
harder because women were not allowed to work. Now at least we have
the freedom to walk on the streets and try to earn an income, and
I hope that things will improve more in the future," she adds.
That improvement for Zalikh couldn't come soon
enough. "I have nothing now except the clothes I am wearing,
I do not even have a blanket to keep me warm at night. This is the
second time I receive food from the Red Crescent, and it really makes
a big difference to me."
In addition to the people in Chari Mostofiat district itself, the Afghan Red Crescent centre assists around 100 people from the surrounding countryside with food supplies. The women come to receive their bag of rice in the morning, with many of them having to walk a long way. Some of them have been receiving this aid for some time, but for others, it's become a recent necessity. "The Red Crescent gives food to my family every week," says Malin, a seven-year-old girl who comes to the relief centre with her neighbour Mirian. "I have nobody else to support me and my family. My father died in the war, and my mother is sick and cannot leave the house." |
