Forcing Children Into Marriage Written by Samira Wafa ZARANJ, NIMROZ — “Don’t raise your voice; you have no say!” 11 year-old Nazia was told by her father when she was engaged to Ghani, a 26 year-old man working in neighboring Iran–she was only seven at the time. Nazia’s dowry was a mere
OneDayinAfghanistan Afghan Glassblower Keeps Art From Dying Ghulam Sakhi has been a glassblower in western Afghanistan’s Herat province for 40 years, but this craft has been a part of his family for generations. Sakhi now harbors the fear that the artform will perish with him; his final wish, after his passing, is for the art to survive.
OneDayinAfghanistan Decades of Illiteracy; The Generations That Have Been Forgotten Generations have gone without the opportunity to seek education in Abi, an area in Chora district of Afghanistan’s Orguzgan province. In addition to that, no health centers exist in the area, exasperating the issues people in this area face on a daily basis.
OneDayinAfghanistan Disabled Afghan Soldier With No Pension A former Afghan soldier who lost a leg to a mine now sells dried fruit on the side of a road. The pension paid before the Taliban took control no longer available, leaving him and thousands of others to fend for themselves.
OneDayinAfghanistan A Hope For Afghan Children Afghan businessman opens two learning centers serving 1,000 underprivileged children in his home province of Logar. The schools are located in areas where none existed before.
OneDayinAfghanistan Child Farmer Dreams of School Written by Sabawoon Ahmadi ZARTALAY, GHOR— Muhammad Asif is a 12 year-old child farmer from Zartalay, a village located 45 kilometers south of Firozkoh, the capital of Afghanistan’s western Ghor province. Since he was six, Muhammad has been spent each year working alongside his father, Hamed. The boy spends
OneDayinAfghanistan A Blind Mother's Single Wish Written by Zarghuna Akbari SHEBERGHAN, JAWZJAN — “Life without eyesight is very challenging; not being able to see your children even once, not being able to recognize their faces, and always depending on others. Without eyesight, the world is a dark place for a human being," 40 year-old Zahra, a blind
Drought Water Scarcity: A Growing Concern Water scarcity is one of the main issues villagers face in Kalar, a village in Andkhoy district of Afghanistan’s western Herat province. The village is home to 150 families with access to one well and a small stream for drinking water.
Children Children Raising Children 14 year-old Somaya was married off to a 45 year-old man at the age of 12 and gave birth to her son at the age of 14. A girl who herself is a mere child, barely a teenager, now has to take care of another child.
Education Maktab: This School is Always Open A mobile distance learning application emerged as a lifeline for Afghan girls and women who were prohibited from pursuing education after the Taliban's takeover of the country in August 2021.
Art This is my Job: Blind Musician Earns Living on the Street Tafirenyika Dube has been playing music since he was a young boy in Gweru. These days he can be found outside the Pioneer House Building, playing music to earn his living.
Health An Education, If You Can Afford It Special needs children are the most vulnerable and neglected group in Afghanistan. Essential facilities, particularly access to education, are severely lacking, adding to their struggle.
Education Teacher, At All Costs Teacher Daniel Ndihokubwayo walks 2.5 hours to and from ECOFO Banda Primary School located in the western province of Bubanza in Burundi because of his passion for teaching.
Culture Hopeless Brides and Refugee Grooms #Afghan women lament the exorbitant dowry amounts incurred after their engagement, saying “absurd” cultural norms create a variety of issues, including domestic violence and termination of their marriage.
OneDayinAfghanistan Portraits as Protest Atena Sultani is a talented artist from Herat who, through her paintings, strives to reflect the voices of girls deprived of education and women deprived of work after the fall of the previous Afghan government in August 2021.
OneDayinAfghanistan Housework; the Only Option for Women Golsum Bibi is an illiterate Afghan woman in her mid-twenties. The sweet dish she makes is famous among villagers but Afghanistan’s recent economic crisis has put a damper on her business.
Sexual Abuse The Shape-Shifting Monsters One of Alive in Afghanistan’s audience members writes about her trauma and sexual abuse by members of her family when she was a mere child.
Health Mental Illness, A Silent Enemy Mental illness has plagued Afghanistan for decades due to war and despite a relative peace returning to the country, unemployment, poverty, and uncertainty about the future continues to exacerbate the effect of mental illness on Afghans.
Economy The Traveling Pitcher Salesman Abdullah Noorzai is an elderly pitcher salesman who takes care of his large family by walking several kilometers every day, striving to turn a profit and feed the mouths waiting at home.
Poverty Selling One Child to Feed the Rest An impoverished #Afghan couple took a drastic measure in an effort to feed their family of 8 by deciding to sell a couple of their children. Meanwhile, another couple married for 14 years with no offspring was looking to adopt a child.
Health The Blind See More Than We Realize In Afghanistan, although roughly five percent of the population are visually impaired, ignorance and intolerance by their peers often lead to discrimination and limited opportunities. However, some like Abdul Jalil Shirzad, have found their place in society.
Diary A Deep Love for Children, Crushed Couple Sara Jafari and Rasool Fallah created a daycare center aimed at providing a nurturing and loving environment for children until the rug pulled from under their feet, leaving them lost and hopeless.
Afghanistan Reading Poetry on the Longest Night Shab-e Yalda celebrates the longest night of the year, it is an important festival for Afghan, Iranian, Tajik, Kurdish, and Azeri communities, regarded as a time of blessings and the resurgence of love and the sun.
OneDayinAfghanistan The 102 Year Old Afghan Leathersmith One of the oldest man in western Afghanistan’s Herat province keeps one of the most ancient professions alive.
OneDayinAfghanistan Her Studio is Her Whole World Diba Naseri’s world and her place of imagination is the tiny room she spends her time painting in. She is happy when she is painting, and nothing, not even the errors and mistakes in those paintings can take her out of her happy place.
