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Orphanage in Kabul: "We have problems getting food for the children."

2021-10-17T14:22:19.380Z


Nine year old Samira is learning math and English at Shamsa Children's Village - still. As winter approaches, the orphanage is finding it increasingly difficult to keep up and running.


Read the video transcript here

9-year-old Samira on her way to class in an orphanage in Kabul.

The young Afghan lives here with over 130 other children in Shamsa Children's Village, where she learns mathematics, English and how to use computers, among other things.

Samira, orphan from Afghanistan

"My father has died.

I want to be a doctor.

I want to serve my homeland and save it from disease. "

But since the Taliban came to power in August, the orphanage, which is mainly financed by donations from abroad, has faced major difficulties.

Basic services, including the financial system, are collapsing across the country, and international funds, including those for humanitarian aid, have been frozen so as not to fall into the hands of the Taliban government.

Ahmed Khalil Mayan, director of the orphanage

»

We don't have enough funds, unfortunately the donations are zero.

The banking operations are very limited.

They only provide $ 200 a week.

Such a large project cannot be run on $ 200.

We are having trouble getting food and other necessities for these children.

«

All over Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of people have been killed in the war over the past 40 years, the numerous orphanages are important hostels.

Not only orphans, but also rejected children and women find refuge here.

But in facilities like the Shamsa Children's Village the last reserves are running out - what will become of the children is hardly foreseeable.

The attempt to put them somewhere else failed.

Ahmed Khalil Mayan, director of the orphanage

"We sent some of 137 children to their families and relatives because we were unable to feed them, but now they are coming back one by one and we have problems."

In addition to hunger, cold and homelessness, the boys are threatened with recruitment by the Taliban for the fight and the girls with forced marriage.

At a digital G20 special meeting a few days ago, among other things, the EU pledged aid of over one billion euros.

The UN should coordinate aid to avert a humane disaster.

It is not yet known exactly when and how this will take place.

According to UN figures, around 18 million Afghans - and thus half of the total population - are dependent on humanitarian aid.

93 percent of households do not have enough to eat.

The children's aid organization UNICEF fears that without help around one million children in Afghanistan could die of hunger by the end of the year.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-10-17

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