When sunset arrived on the sixth day of Ramadan, Mozlifa and her children broke their fast with bread, potatoes and eggs. Their family lives near the Afghan capital.
Several hours earlier, before sunset, Mozlifa prepared food for her eight children using plastic and paper to light a fire, because the family could not afford a gas stove.
His family is one of 80 families living in Butkhak camp, near Kabul.
They fled their homes in Nangarhar province due to drought and security problems.
Afghan Muslims prepare to distribute food at a mosque during iftar on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Kandahar, March 11, 2024. (Sanaullah SEIAM / AFP)
Most families living in the camp break their fast with just a simple meal, as they struggle to overcome the economic crisis under Taliban rule.
Mozlifa said, “I have eight small children. My husband has died. I ask the government to help us. We don't have enough food or other basic necessities. We are beset with many problems; we have nothing.”
The number of refugees has increased sharply since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Mozlifa's eldest son, Mohammad Naeem, admitted that he had been the sole breadwinner of the family since his father died.
“There are nine members of our family. Our father is dead. I have six sisters and one brother. I was a waste cloth scavenger and was paid 100 Afghani (around Rp. 21,000) per day. I also collect plastic. From the wages I get, I buy food for the other eight people in my family. “I am the oldest child and the only backbone of our family,” he said.
Salamat Khan, Naeem's younger brother, is also in charge of looking for paper to make fire. “I leave home early in the morning and come home in the afternoon. I carry a bag of paper and this is how we survive,” he commented.
Afghan Muslims distribute food at a mosque during iftar on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Kandahar, March 11, 2024. (Sanaullah SEIAM/AFP)
Various aid agencies have provided food, education and health care assistance to Afghans. However, the distribution of aid was greatly impacted by the Taliban's policy of prohibiting women from working for international non-profit organizations.
Afghanistan's economy is stumbling and almost collapsing.
Although the markets there are mostly stocked with various supplies, not many people can afford to shop for food for their families. (rd/uh)