More than 90 percent of Afghans face food shortages, according to the United Nations. Jamal, who did not want to be named, is among those for whom Eid, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, has brought some joy. The 38-year-old is struggling to make ends meet as the country finds itself embroiled in a serious humanitarian crisis sparked by the Taliban takeover last August. A few pieces of bread from the nearby bakery is what Jamal could provide for his 17-member family. Some of these will be stored for later to be taken with any meal they can receive from charitable friends and neighbors. “But I do not expect to get much even for Eid. Who will give me money or food? The whole city lives in poverty. “I have never seen anything like this even in the refugee camps where I grew up,” he said, referring to his upbringing in refugee camps in neighboring Pakistan. A former junior government official, Jamal spent most of the month of Ramadan seeking work or support to find food for sehri (suhoor in Arabic), pre-dawn and iftar, fast-breaking meals. of dusk. . Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
“The worst Ramadan of my life”
Jamal says his condition has not always been so tragic. He remembers the previous Ramadan – a time of prayer, spiritual contemplation and family. “Every Ramadan and Eid we come together with the family and the community to worship. “This month and Eid have always been about unity and forgiveness for us, but this year was the opposite,” said Jamal. “It was the worst Ramadan of my life. “Not only are we hungry, but there is no unity, nor can we worship peacefully,” he said, referring to recent attacks on mosques in Afghanistan. Taliban leader Haibatullah Ahunzada on Sunday congratulated Afghans on “victory, freedom and success” as they attended Eid prayers in the eastern city of Kandahar. However, the humanitarian crisis and the deteriorating security situation were not mentioned in his speech. Jamal was ousted from his government post after the takeover of the Taliban. “I have always wanted to serve my country. But I was not in the military, nor was I affiliated with any political group. And they [Taliban] “he still fired me,” he said. Afghans break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan in Kabul [Ali Khara/Reuters] The loss of the only source of income hit Jamal’s family very hard and in a short time they were financially crippled. “Since the occupation of the Taliban, my family has not had a full meal. And this Ramadan we solved our fast only with water and bread. “And Eid is no different,” he said. “Last Ramadan, in the last days, we were out shopping for the children, we even took the family out for the last iftar dinner. “But this year, all we can do is not starve.”
Food security levels have fallen
According to UN figures released at the Afghanistan Conference in March, more than 24 million Afghans – more than half the country’s population – need humanitarian assistance to survive. Levels of food security have fallen, caused by US sanctions that have made it difficult for humanitarian NGOs to provide rescue aid. As the situation continues to deteriorate, several NGOs in Afghanistan are reporting an increase in the number of families seeking help and services from them. UN says more than 24 million Afghans need humanitarian aid to survive [File:Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo] “We have been campaigning during Ramadan, mainly for food donations for more than five years, and this year was the worst,” said Abdul Manan Momand, a social worker from Nangarhar Province. He asked for the name of his organization to remain discreet. “Last year, we distributed aid to about 3,000 families in one province alone, but this year, so far, we have provided assistance to more than 12,000 families.” Momad said many of the younger families who approached them for support were those who had previously been well-off but had been hit hard financially since the Taliban takeover. “Many people have lost their jobs and many families are suffering because there is no income. “Many of them are also widows who have lost their jobs,” he said, adding that at least one woman they supported this Ramadan regularly contributed to their previous donation campaigns. “She worked with an NGO and contributed generously to our previous campaigns, but this year she lost her job and approached us for support. “It is heartbreaking to see families struggling.”
High inflation, widespread unemployment
Afghanistan’s markets, meanwhile, are experiencing high inflation, coupled with widespread unemployment. “There is always some increase in prices during Ramadan in peripheral countries, but the increase in Ramadan prices is already exacerbating high inflation rates in Afghanistan due to the Taliban occupation of the country,” said Ahmad Jamal Shuja, a former government official and co-author. of the Decline and Fall of Republican Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a group of UN human rights experts on Monday called on the US government to unblock the assets of Afghanistan’s central bank, which were frozen after the fall of the previous government in August 2021. “Humanitarian organizations face serious operational challenges due to the uncertainty caused by banks’ zero-risk policies and excessive compliance with sanctions,” the statement said, citing a recent renewal of the US government’s decision to block high levels of Afghan aid. $ 7 billion. “The international community is trying to do its best, including by easing sanctions and giving the Taliban a chance to ease sanctions. It has offered to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in training “The Taliban should reverse their ban on girls ‘secondary education,” said Suja, referring to the ongoing closure of girls’ higher education in the country. “The Taliban put their ideology above the needs of a starving Afghan population,” he said. Families like Jamal, which used to thrive on a meager income of 15,000 Afghans ($ 175) a month, have felt the strongest impact of the economic collapse. “Although I did not earn much before, it was enough,” said Jamal. “At the moment there is no income in our family. But commodity prices have risen. We used to buy a bag of flour for 1,600 afghanis ($ 19) and now it cost over 2,700 afghanis ($ 32). A can of cooking oil cost 400 Afghanistan ($ 4.70) [and] it is now more than double. “
The only feeder
As the sole breadwinner of his family, Jamal had worked hard to meet their needs along with small luxuries. He grew up as a refugee in Pakistan and had spent many years working odd jobs completing his higher education. “After returning from the shelter [after the fall of Taliban in 2001], I would sell boxes of fruit and tissues on the streets of Kabul. “I was later hired as a security guard at a foreigners’ hostel and all this time I was studying after hours to complete my degree and get the job of this civil servant,” he said. “One of my brothers is a drug addict and my father is also out of work. I always took care of my family and worked hard to get to a place where I could offer them small comforts. “But now our lives are worse than they were in the refugee camps in Pakistan.” Almost 20 years after returning from a Pakistani refugee camp, Jamal finds himself looking for a job on the streets. He borrowed some money to buy a small stroller in the hope of finding a job promoting small goods in the market. “But there are no goods to transport,” he said. “Most days I return home empty-handed.” “It’s extremely difficult to concentrate [on prayers], especially when children cry for food. “I feel extremely helpless sometimes, but I hope that one day Allah will hear our prayers,” Jamal told Al Jazeera. Afghans celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Sunday [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
