“I am tired of migrating”
An Afghan woman recounts her story of drought-induced displacement and the hopes to move abroad
By Maryam* as told to Samuel Hall Team
‘We used to live in a remote area of Shirzad district and were engaged in farming and livestock. Our living conditions were good. We had a lot of cows and sheep. However, drought arrived in our community. We didn’t receive any rain for an entire year. The excessive heat damaged agricultural lands. So, we had to move from there. We were displaced almost three times from one province to another.
M y name is Maryam. We are from the Shirzad district of Jalalabad province. The weather was too hot in our original community. We could hardly get any water from the wells. Due to the extreme heat, my children were constantly sick with diarrhoea. I even lost one of my children to it. There was no medicine or a doctor to take care of us. Many people’s agricultural lands were damaged, and countless animals were lost. We had to spend our savings so we wouldn’t remain hungry.
During the drought, people tried cultivating crops that needed less water, such as medicinal plants. They also dug ditches to store water. People still use these coping mechanisms in drought-hit areas.
We had to sell our house items and send our children to work in brick factories or on farmland to purchase water. Moreover, we always tried to buy food of lower quality as it was cheap. However, we couldn’t continue living that way, so we sold our agricultural land and some of our cows for half the original price.
This was not the first time we were experiencing a calamity. Several years ago, there was also a flood in the village, and it swept away much of our possessions. To prevent water from entering their homes, people dug ditches and canals and placed mud-filled sacks around their homes. Many other people had to go to the mountains until the flood subsided. Most people moved into schools because their houses had been destroyed.
We had already suffered losses, mainly economic.
First, people claimed that Kabul was a good place, with many work opportunities. Upon our arrival in Kabul, we established a tent in the Sherpur area because we could not afford to pay monthly rent. My husband started running a plastic-selling shop. However, they were all destroyed in a bomb explosion in the Dehmazang area. Our situation was getting worse day by day, and there was no hope left for us to stay in Kabul.
The winter in Kabul was freezing, but we did not have the resources to warm up our house. The rent and living expenses were also very high. So, we came to Islam Qala to go to Iran but were soon deported from the Iranian border. Then, we came to Shaidayee in Herat.
To be able to provide for our children, my husband was forced to join the army and was martyred in Shindand two months before the fall of the current government. I currently live in a rented house in Shaidayee. I can’t find a job even though I am a 12th-standard graduate. Everything that we have is from the neighbours, so it is challenging for me to find bread for my children.
“Most people help me, but no [aid] organisation has assisted us so far.”
Before the arrival of the Taliban government, some of our neighbours received cash assistance from an aid organisation. Even if any assistance packages arrived, they were distributed based on connections. The community leader would reserve most of these aid packages for himself, so there would be very little left for other people. For example, some houses have up to 5 food cards, while the deserving households haven’t received anything. They primarily assist the Pashto speakers here, as Persian speakers don’t have much authority over these matters.
So, ethnic and linguistic differences certainly exist — so does the possibility of being displaced again, as there are very few basic facilities in this community. There is no school for my children. I need access to a well-equipped health clinic and medicine. We are short of water. The winds are quite strong. Last winter, I collected firewood from the plains and used it as fuel.
Life is difficult here. I want to go to Iran or Pakistan from here to work and educate my children. However, if facilities, such as shelters, education, and health clinics, are made accessible, then I would consider staying here.
I am tired of migrating.’
- Name has been changed to protect identity
This interview is part of our research brief on Climate change in Afghanistan, commissioned by IOM Afghanistan with support from EU Partnerships. It has been edited only for the purpose of brevity and clarity.
As part of this research we have released four research briefs and a synthesis report on the impact of climate change, mental health, infrastructure and services, and urban migration on displacement-affected communities in Afghanistan focusing on changes since the fall of Kabul in August 2021.
