Snapshot from Afghanistan: Too Many Widows
April 22, 2002
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Hler Gudjonsson in Herat

The regions surrounding Herat in western Afghanistan are some of the poorest parts of the country. In addition to the many conflicts that have been raging, there has been a persistent drought for several years. Thousands of farmers have been forced to leave their homes and large numbers of internally displaced people are now almost totally dependent on food aid.

The health situation of the population is as serious as in other parts of the country, with an improvement in health services greatly needed.

The ensuing poverty among the general population, both in and around Herat is overwhelming. Nowhere more evident than among the women in the community. More than 20 years of war have left a lot of the menfolk dead and everywhere, one will meet widows and children without fathers. The numerous natural disasters, including several years of drought, have eaten away what
meagre resources families had.

The Afghan Red Crescent in Herat is running several programmes to assist those who are in need of help - including the widows. They, the handicapped and the elderly, represent the majority of the people being helped in Chari Mostofiat, where the Red Crescent runs a relief centre assisting 15,000 people with food. Many of these people have lost everything and live in extreme poverty as they are unable to work for an income. What they receive from the Red Crescent is often the only food they have.

"I have two sons but they have both gone to Iran as there was no work for them here. I have nobody to help me. I work a little bit, helping another family, but the salary is almost nothing," says Zalikh, a 63 year-old widow," Things are tough now, but until recently, they were even tougher. "During the Taliban rule, life was even harder because women were not allowed to work. Now at least we have the freedom to walk on the streets and try to earn an income, and I hope that things will improve more in the future," she adds.

That improvement for Zalikh couldn't come soon enough. "I have nothing now except the clothes I am wearing, I do not even have a blanket to keep me warm at night. This is the second time I receive food from the Red Crescent, and it really makes a big difference to me." In addition to the people in Chari Mostofiat district itself, the Afghan Red Crescent centre assists
around 100 people from the surrounding countryside with food supplies. The women come to receive their bag of rice in the morning, with many of them having to walk a long way. Some of them have been receiving this aid for some time, but for others, it's become a recent necessity.

"The Red Crescent gives food to my family every week," says Malin, a seven-year-old girl who comes to the relief centre with her neighbour Mirian. "I have nobody else to support me and my family. My father died in the war, and my mother is sick and cannot leave the house."