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
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.
Unemployment No Jobs, No Food, No Hope Afghans across the country lament the lack of employment while voicing concern over the increasing poverty.
OneDayinAfghanistan Camels Leave No Time for Tea Camel herder Habibullah Baloch spends at least half a year herding the animals in the deserts of southwestern Afghanistan’s Nimroz province.
Narcotics Afghan Drug Crisis, in the Words of Users Rampant poverty and the increasing unemployment rate, due to Afghanistan’s continuing economic crisis are playing a major role in the increase in the number of people with a substance use disorder. In Badakhshan alone, users have increased from 40,000 to 50,000 in the last year and a half.
Fashion Salon Eliminates Hair and Ignorance Customers waiting their turn at a salon in western Afghanistan’s Badghis province could take the time to read a book from the small library, an initiative by the owner who regrets not finishing school.
Weather Between Life and Death in Winter's Cold Afghans across the country endured an unprecedented cold snap in January that left dozens of people and thousands of livestock dead.
OneDayinAfghanistan Weaving a Life From Reeds and Straw Small, agricultural-based businesses are suffering the impact of Afghanistan’s economic crisis and the persistent drought devastating communities across the poverty-stricken country.