Sumaya ( right )
Your support meant 141,431 Afghans received emergency aid from CAI in 2021 , most of them women and children . Thank you !
This past year , CAI donors stepped in with emergency aid for Tamana ’ s and Sumaya ’ s families , as well as hundreds of others with similar stories . Without money or a breadwinner , these families were barely hanging on . But with CAI ’ s help , they were given cash to pay the rent and buy food , warm clothing , medicine , and fuel .
CAI ’ s partners also provided emergency assistance to the displaced . As winter arrived , 300 of the neediest families were given mats to sleep on , warm blankets , utensils for cooking , and backpacks filled with books , pencils , and toys .
In addition , to mitigate the spread of COVID in the displacement camps , CAI ’ s partners distributed 1,800 hygiene kits and set up 40 handwashing stations that served nearly 26,000 people . They supplied 6,200 boxes of facemasks that helped keep 28,000 people safe from infection , and sponsored free medical exams for nearly 1,400 women and children .
Last year , her father left to work in Iran . She lived with her mother , grandfather , and nine siblings in a crumbling , damaged home . Twelve people shared one room and a kitchen with no door , window , or proper roof . Cooking was difficult when it rained or snowed . Her mother begged at the village bakery for bread to feed her children . Tamana finished one year of schooling before the family ran out of money to buy her books , notebooks , pens , and school uniform . She hasn ’ t been back .
Tragically , Tamana ’ s situation is not unique . Since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan more than a year ago in August 2021 , the humanitarian crisis in the country has worsened dramatically . Thousands of families don ’ t have enough food to eat , and a shockingly high number of children are suffering from severe malnutrition . Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by the fighting during the summer when the Taliban took control . Families forced to flee their homes with only the clothes on their backs went to squalid , crowded displacement camps . The majority were women and children .
Shortly after taking power , the Taliban put in place harsh restrictions on women ’ s ability to work outside the home , putting female-headed households like Tamana ’ s in dire straits . When mothers are forced to stay at home with their children , they have no way to earn income .
The plight of Tamana ’ s mother Rahila , who must raise her destitute family by herself , is heart wrenching . “ I am spending my entire life struggling so hard to find a bite of food for my daughters ,” she said .
Last winter , the situation grew especially dire for the most vulnerable , including displaced and female-headed households . As the frigid temperatures set in , the poorest families were without fuel to heat their homes , proper clothing to keep them warm , and money for medicine when someone got sick . The COVID pandemic only deepened the economic crisis .
YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK
Thirteen-year-old Sumaya lives with her parents and two sisters . Her father suffers from a chronic mental disorder and is unable to work . Her mother sometimes does laundry and housework for other families , but no one is earning a consistent income . Their home is in poor condition . They ’ re frequently late with the rent and without money to buy food and household supplies . Sumaya went to school through grade five , but now the family cannot afford her school supplies and uniform . Sumaya would love to become a doctor and help others , but she has no idea what her future holds . She and her family live in a chronic state of uncertainty .
MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
While women still dream of providing an education for their children , often they can only focus on getting by . When they have been left to raise their children by themselves , unable to leave home to find work , they struggle just to keep their family fed , sheltered , and warm .
Thanks to your support , last winter we were able to give hundreds of families the emergency aid they needed most . Looking to the future , we remain nimble , acutely aware that the situation in Afghanistan is volatile . We need to be ready to act quickly and respond appropriately in an emergency .
With the Taliban back in power and the economy in shambles , millions of people remain in crisis . Emergency mode — at least for the foreseeable future — appears to be the new norm . But with your continued support , we know that Afghans , like Tamana and Sumaya , have a fighting chance . u
8 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE