The loss of her husband fell into a existence crisis. Without income, every day was a fight for survival. “I felt helpless and didn’t know how to feed my children,” says the 36-year-old, who lives in a small village in the province of Pakia in southeast Afghanistan.
Many families in Afghanistan face similarly difficult challenges. Almost half of the Afghan population lives in poverty, 22.9 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid. Every third person suffers from hunger and malnutrition – especially women and children. The causes of this severe nutritional crisis are diverse: rising food prices, lack of income and extreme weather events such as Dürren. In collaboration with the ADA, the agency of Austrian development cooperation, Care does emergency aid, improves health care and supports families with income -promoting measures in ensuring their livelihood.
“Cash for Work” ensures women financial stability
Fatima’s situation improved when she took part in Cares “Cash for Work” initiative. With the reward for maintenance of work equipment, she was able to buy enough food for her children for the first time in a long time. At the same time, she invested her income in her future: she acquired laying hens and began to sell eggs. “It was no longer just about survival, but about giving my children a better life,” says Fatima. Soon she could not only make a living from her family, but also finance her children’s schooling. “This project gave me the chance to stand on my own feet,” she says.
Two new health centers offer better care for pregnant women and mothers
In addition to economic challenges, there is no functioning health care in Afghanistan: there is a lack of qualified staff, medication and medical equipment. This can be life -threatening for pregnant women. Almost a third of all births are carried out without professional medical care, often with serious health consequences for mother and child.
Nargis*, a 27-year-old mother from the province of Paktia, lives in a remote village where there is hardly any health care. When she got pregnant, she worried that she would not receive enough medical help at birth. “I was afraid,” she recalls. “I didn’t know if we could get the necessary care or whether help would come in time.”
In order to improve health care in the region, Care has set up two health centers with the financial support of the foreign catastrophic fund and equipped it with the necessary equipment. These facilities offer primary health services with a special focus on mother-child health, including immunizations for women and children as well as the treatment of transferable and non-transferable diseases.
When Nargis used contractions, her husband brought her to one of the clinics where she could reliably release. “This clinic is a blessing for our village,” she says. Nargis has inspired her experience to work for the health of mothers. It encourages other women to use medical help during pregnancy and supports expectant mothers with their knowledge. “I want every mother know that she is not alone,” she says. “With the right support, we can overcome any challenge.”
The project is from the Austrian Development Agency (Ada) Funded from funds from the abroad and runs until mid -March 2025. So far, over 32,100 project participants have benefited: inside of which – two thirds of them were women.
*Name for the protection of the people changed.