Children collect garbage in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2022. Heavy snow started falling across the country on Monday, bringing new hardships to needy families who have little food to eat and no way to heat their makeshift shelters. Many with no choice but to scavenge on the streets of Kabul. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
KABUL, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Snow is a sign of winter joy, putting smiles on the faces of children the world over. But recent snow in Afghanistan has left destitute families and homeless children facing countless cold and hungry weeks. For them, suffering is becoming the norm.
Heavy snow started falling across the country on Monday, bringing new hardships to needy families who have little food to eat and no way to heat their makeshift shelters. Many with no choice but to scavenge on the streets of Kabul.
Mehrab, a 12-year-old boy, was just one of the thousands of children prowling the freezing streets during the blizzard on Tuesday. Hail, rain or shine, if Meharb does not work, he probably won't eat.
"I don't think I will find any work on a snowy day, but I have no choice. I have to work and earn as much as possible," he told Xinhua. The snow brought no joy to his family, quite the contrary. In fact, he said the snow had "forced me to work on streets to buy bread."
Wearing plastic shoes and shaking with cold, Mehrab explained that he has to support a family of 13. "My mother and I are the breadwinners in our family. I work on the streets polishing people's shoes and my mother washes clothes and cleans people's houses. No one wants their shoes polished on a day like today," he said.
A third-grade student, Mehrab can work all day if the weather permits during the winter vacation, but when school begins, he can work only half the day. "Usually, I can earn about 100 to 150 afghani daily (about 1 U.S. dollar). It is not much, but it helps."
A trip around the streets of Kabul leaves no doubts about the poverty and anguish of ordinary Afghans. To survive, plenty of families have sold their home appliances on the streets. Many young people have left for Iran, Pakistan, Turkey or even north America or Europe to escape poverty and support their families by remittances.
More than 22 million Afghans are facing acute food shortages. If nothing is done, a humanitarian catastrophe is inevitable. Countries including China, Germany and Pakistan, have sent aid including foodstuff and winter clothes to this war-torn country.
Mawlawi Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, acting minister for refugees and repatriation affairs, has given assurances that all assistance extended by the world community would reach desperate Afghans.
Ezatullah, 50, was once a porter in a Kabul market. Now, he pushes a cart around the streets, transporting other people's goods to their houses or cars. Can't afford cooking oil, he and his family have not had any meat for months.
"From the early morning, I am on streets looking for work but there is no work to be found, almost zero. I hardly earn 20 afghani a day which is not enough to feed my children," Ezatullah said.
"The business is a flop and my income is shrinking by each passing day due to poverty as many persons have lost purchasing power," Mohammad Qasim, owner of a soft drink shop in the recreational park the Qargha Lake, complained. Enditem
People wait for work in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2022. Heavy snow started falling across the country on Monday, bringing new hardships to needy families who have little food to eat and no way to heat their makeshift shelters. Many with no choice but to scavenge on the streets of Kabul. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
Children play with snow in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2022. Heavy snow started falling across the country on Monday, bringing new hardships to needy families who have little food to eat and no way to heat their makeshift shelters. Many with no choice but to scavenge on the streets of Kabul. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
A man waits for work in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2022. Heavy snow started falling across the country on Monday, bringing new hardships to needy families who have little food to eat and no way to heat their makeshift shelters. Many with no choice but to scavenge on the streets of Kabul. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)