Zahida* (35) is five months pregnant and lives with her husband Khalid* (40) and their nine children in a rural village in northern Afghanistan. Life is extremely difficult for Zahida and Khalid, and they often struggle to feed their children. Due to prolonged drought, farmers in their district can no longer grow and harvest crops, and their village has no jobs. Khalid regularly travels to the closest city to find employment as a construction worker, but it is very unreliable, and he often only works for two to three days a week. The low wage he earns goes towards buying food for his family. However, it’s often not enough.

Their one-year-old daughter, Shayesta*, is now also suffering from malnutrition. Zahida says she’s scared Shayesta* will also die because they do not have enough money to provide for her.

Zahida* says, “There have been times in our life when we couldn’t afford bread. Last year, during the cold winter, we had no flour for three days. I am ashamed of asking for bread from our neighbours.” 

“After two months, she (Benafsha*) got measles. I couldn’t get her fully vaccinated, and this is why she got measles. We don’t have a (permanent) clinic and the local transport to the city charges 50 AFN (USD $0.60). To be honest, I didn’t have 50 AFN to pay to take her to the city. On the fourth night, my child was good, but then she died in my arms.” 

“She (Shayesta*) is very thin and has been ill for 40 days. One day she is fine and then sick for two days. She is very thin and not good. Even though she is weak I don’t want her to die. I am scared. I have already lost one child and I don’t want to lose my second child.”

Most days, the family survives on tea and bread alone. The children’s health has deteriorated, and Zahida* and Khalid* worry constantly about how thin and weak their children have become. Six months ago, they tragically lost their daughter Benafsha*, who was 18 months old at the time. Benafsha was malnourished and then contracted measles. She died in her mother’s arms.

“For breakfast we eat only bread with tea, for lunch the same - bread with tea. For dinner if I have something like rice, we cook that, otherwise it’s only bread and tea – the same as breakfast and lunch", says Khalid*. 

“There’s no agriculture here, and farmers can’t harvest half of what they plant. Two years ago, it was good. But somehow there's no agriculture for the last two years, three including this year. The only thing we plant is wheat. [But] in the past three years, no one can harvest it. They can forget about their efforts.” 

“Definitely it (the drought) has increased now, earlier it was better.…the best thing we have for food is potato - if we can afford it.” 

“There are few wells in the village, but it is not sufficient for all villagers, that’s why we travel to [the district centre] for the water. All people rush to wells for water - they even fight over the water.” 

“Our biggest problem in life is a lack of food, water and bread. If there is no bread, people will die of hunger. If there is no water, on these hot summer days, people will die from thirst. The biggest problem for many people [in the village] is bread and water.”