War, famine, drought, and earthquakes.
These are just a few reasons why Afghanistan has one of the most displaced populations on earth.
After four decades of suffering, more than 8 million men, women, and children have fled to neighboring countries … and another 3.2 million live in camps for internally displaced people.
“Afghanistan’s displacement crisis is one of the largest and most protracted in UNHCR’s seven-decade history. We’re now seeing a third generation of Afghan children born in exile.’’ — UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi
Many of those who remain in Afghanistan are on the brink of starvation. Recent natural disasters have pushed families further into poverty, and economic decline has left many unable to afford even the most basic necessities.
Displaced Afghans are in desperate need of essentials like food, water, and medical supplies
Women like Taara fear for the future of their families as they struggle to make ends meet.
Taara, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in a camp for internally displaced Afghans.
She stays home to care for her eight children while her husband works odd jobs in their community. His work often includes intense, grueling labor, but he only earns around 50 AFN each day … which is the equivalent of less than $1 USD.
It’s impossible to care for a family of 10 with such a small income. But since women are no longer permitted to work under the Taliban’s rule, Taara can’t get a job to help provide for her children.
With their meager earnings, the only food Taara and her husband can afford for their kids was dry bread. Hoping to give her family a better life, she took out a loan of 150,000 AFN, which amounts to about $2,130 USD.
She’s not the only one turning to loans to feed her family. In fact, 82 percent of households in Afghanistan have gone into debt trying to buy basic essentials.
Rising prices worldwide have left parents like Taara unable to buy basic necessities for their children
But when it was time to repay the loan, Taara’s story took a turn for the worse. She and her husband didn’t have the money … which left them with one choice.
Taara and her husband made the heartbreaking decision to sell their 10-year-old daughter into marriage.
“My daughter did not want to get married at that age, but we forced her as it was our obligation to pay debt,” Taara said.
Can you imagine making such a difficult choice?
The only way Taara could care for her seven other children was to sell one of her daughters into a child marriage. If she didn’t, the others would most likely die from starvation because she couldn’t afford to feed them.
Child marriage is 20% more likely to occur in high-conflict areas
The unfortunate truth is that Taara’s story is all too common in countries like Afghanistan and other high-conflict areas. Refugees and displaced people urgently need supplies like food, water, clothing, and more. And YOU have the power to help mothers like Taara before they are forced to go to such extreme measures to survive.
For just $35, you can provide a week’s worth of essentials like food, water, medical care, and more to one refugee or displaced person.
People like Taara from countries Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Syria are desperately waiting for someone like YOU to provide help and hope … and they might not have much longer.
Give your best gift now to provide refugees and displaced people with the emergency supplies they need before it’s too late.