Torn by Tragedy, Held by Hope

Torn by Tragedy, Held by Hope

Monira*, 38, is a single parent living in Sar Boland village of Afghanistan’s Herat province, with her five children: two daughters and three sons aged between seven to 17. Her eldest daughter helps with household chores such as cleaning and washing, and the second daughter sometimes helps her sister fetch water while the other three children work to contribute to the family’s livelihood. None of the children go to school or a Madrasa.[1] 

In 2020, Monira lost her husband, who suffered from heart disease. Since then, she has faced numerous challenges, including living in poverty and food insecurity while being the sole provider for her children. 

Her family primarily survives on bread and tea for almost all their daily meals, with lentils or rice only twice or thrice a week. Though, her three sons work as shepherds, and Monira contributes by baking 40 loaves a day on an average for neighbours—receiving six loaves in return[2]—and weaving yarn for villagers. Their combined monthly income is approximately AFN 3000 (USD 45), with the children earning around AFN 30,000 (USD 450) annually, barely enough to meet their basic needs. 

Monira owned five sheep and used their dairy products—such as milk, yoghurt, butter, and dough (a traditional Afghan yoghurt-based drink)—to nourish her children. Each autumn, she sold one or two sheep, earning around AFN 9,000 (approximately USD 136). She used this income to buy groceries, including rice, pulses, cooking oil, and potatoes, for the winter season, as well as some fuel for baking bread. Despite these efforts, Monira and her children struggled to maintain a modest livelihood.

On October 7, 2023, a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck their village while Monira was preparing to bake bread in the kitchen. The walls collapsed, leaving her with a back injury. Fortunately, all her children were outside at the time; the boys were shepherding in the mountains, and her daughters were at the fountain fetching water, a 20-minute walk from their home, keeping them safe during the quake.  “I was so scared and felt terrible pain in my back, but I forced myself to try and check on my children. However, I could only manage a few steps,” Monira recalled.  

In mere seconds, their five-room house—including the kitchen, was reduced to rubble, along with all their belongings.  A few minutes later, her daughters returned, and within two hours, all her children were back home. “Although we were all in shock, staring at the dusty remains of our village and the ruins of our only property, the children surrounded me, hugging one another. At least we were all safe,” she sighed.

Ninety percent of the houses in Sar Boland village were destroyed, while the remaining 10% sustained partial damage. The houses, traditionally constructed from mud and rocks, with dome-shaped roofs, lacked the resilience to withstand the earthquake, resulting in widespread devastation.[3] The earthquake impacted a total of 275,000 people, destroyed 382 villages, claimed the lives of 1,480 individuals, and left nearly 2,000 injured.[4] Survivors were forced to spend the night outdoors due to ongoing aftershocks. The following day, authorities and humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provided tents and food to those affected.

Monira’s family set up a tent near the rubble of their house and lived under it for 10 months, enduring numerous challenges, including harsh weather conditions. Although humanitarian NGOs provided food and non-food items such as blankets, warm clothes, and fuel, surviving the winter in the tent was extremely difficult. The severe winds in their village and temperatures as low as -8°C made it almost unbearable.

Despite receiving medicine from a health centre established in response to the earthquake, Monira’s condition did not improve much. According to doctors, her spine was severely damaged and required specialised treatment. As a last resort, she sold all five sheep[5] for AFN 20,000 (approx. USD 294) and travelled to Herat City, approximately 45 kilometres from her village. Her eldest daughter stayed behind to care for her siblings, while Monira and her 14-year-old son went to the city.

Monira spent five days in a government hospital, where all services were free, but she had to cover the cost of medicines, most of which were prescribed from outside the hospital. During her stay, she spent AFN 3,000 (approximately USD 43.8) on transportation and AFN 1,000 (approximately USD 15) on food, as the hospital only provided meals for her, not her son. The remaining AFN 16,000 (approximately USD 234) was used to purchase medicines for her hospital stay and a month’s treatment at home. Although she received some relief, Monira could not afford follow-up visits and did not fully recover. Her back pain worsened, leaving her unable to work as she had before.

Fortunately, a humanitarian organisation built a new house for Monira and her family under an earthquake response project, and in August 2024, they were able to resettle into their newly constructed home. “Though we faced many hardships after my husband passed away, at least we had a roof over our heads, and I was able to work. But after the earthquake, it was the hardest time of my life. This year, I couldn’t work and had no livelihood, such as livestock. There were days when we didn’t have enough to eat,” Monira shared.  

The earthquake severely disrupted their means of survival. Although Monira’s sons continued working as shepherds, they typically receive their wages only at the end of the year. The situation in the village was dire, with most residents losing their livestock—some sold their remaining animals, while others had no money to rebuild. As a result, the boys’ annual wages decreased to AFN 25,000 (approximately USD 378), losing AFN 5000 (approx. USD 73).  

Monira’s back pain has rendered her unable to bake bread as she once did. Her eldest daughter has taken over, but she bakes only 20 loaves, earning three in exchange. Monira is still able to weave yarn, earning the same modest income of AFN 500 (approximately USD 7.3) per month.  Their monthly income has now been reduced to just AFN 2,583 (approximately USD 38) leaving them struggling to meet even their most basic needs.

“I felt exhausted. I cannot work, and my sons are so young—the eldest is only 14 and cannot earn enough to support the family. There is no work available for my daughter. We sold our sheep, which used to cover most of our household expenses. When we eat, we don’t know where our next meal will come from. It makes me feel burdened and hopeless,” shared Monira.

After the earthquake, Monira’s family relied entirely on aid from NGOs. While the shelter provided by humanitarian organisations protected them from harsh weather, they struggled to put food on the table, having received no assistance for three months.

Community World Service Asia (CWSA) reached Sar Boland village in the summer of 2024. During an assessment in August for a Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) project supported by ACT Appeal, Monira’s family was identified as eligible participants due to their status as a woman-headed household with no permanent livelihood and severe food insecurity. On August 25, Monira and 129 other households received the first installment of USD 170, followed by two more installments in September and October 2024.

For Monira’s family, food was the most urgent need. She used the entire first tranche to purchase essential food items such as flour, rice, beans, lentils, cooking oil, spaghetti, potatoes, and salt. “I was extremely depressed as we had no food. We were surviving on just three to five loaves of bread a day for the entire family. I often skipped meals or ate less so my children could have more. The assistance gave us hope and provided much-needed food,” said Monira.

With the second installment, Monira allocated USD 100 for a visit to the doctor in the city and the prescribed medication for her back, which helped ease her pain. The remaining funds were used to buy warm clothing, including coats and jackets for her children, for the upcoming winter, and to replenish their food supplies. “After moving into our new house, it was the first time my daughter could cook delicious meals in our kitchen every night. During this period, I felt less stressed, seeing my children happy and enjoying their food,” said Monira.

This assistance was a lifeline for the family during this challenging period. However, many needs remain unmet, leaving them vulnerable. They still lack a reliable source of livelihood, and Monira has not fully recovered. According to UNOCHA, more than a year has passed since the devastating earthquake, yet many needs persist. With winter approaching, 25,000 families are still without adequate shelter due to funding shortages within the humanitarian community.[6]


[1] The village lacks a school for children, so boys and girls only attend the Madrasa, where they receive religious education alongside basic reading and writing skills.
[2]  Monira got three loaves in return for baking 20. So, she earned six loaves a day (worth AFN 2700 in a month) as her wage for baking, instead of cash, by using her own fuel to bake dough brought by others.
[3] https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/first-assessment-herat-afghanistan-earthquake-preliminary-shelter-and-housing-response-zinda-jan-district-west-herat-october-12-2023
[4]  https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-humanitarian-update-october-2024
[5]  In previous years, she maintained a cycle of selling two sheep annually while retaining two to three. However, in 2023, the sheep gave birth to two lambs bringing the total to five.
[6]  https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-humanitarian-update-october-2024