We rely on our animals completely - without them we would not survive. Thanks to Afghanaid, we have learned to take the best care of our animals, so now we can get the best out of them. It means I get a better income, my children eat better and we're all happier.

Almost 80% of families across Afghanistan live in rural areas, and they depend on livestock and agriculture as their source of income and food. Despite this, few have the skills or resources to properly care for, or maximise the productivity of, their animals and land, leaving them with little money to provide daily meals. This has been compounded in recent years, as unpredictable and increasingly extreme weather has made life incredibly difficult for these families. 

Please make a donation today and support these vulnerable families

One of the farmers we are supporting is Aliha

Aliha (pictured) lives with his wife and their three young sons in a remote rural village in the Central Highlands. Life in his remote village has always been tough, and healthy working animals are now crucial to their fragile livelihoods.

“Our village is spread out across this valley. We don’t have any markets nearby so we work together - if one family grows one type of food and another some other type, we trade with each other so that everyone can benefit.

We used to be able to rely on regular snow and rain to water our land but over the past few years, both the snow and rain have become unpredictable and scarce. Our land never gets a chance to recover – it is either dried out by drought or washed away by floods.

  

"We own donkeys, goats, chickens, ducks and cows, and we grow potatoes, wheat, apples and almonds on our farm. We use our animals for food and milk. We use them to pull ploughs and to collect clean water from the spring, and when we collect fodder and firewood from the mountains, and we use their manure to fertilise our land.

We rely on our animals completely - without them we would not survive. Thanks to Afghanaid, we have learned to take the best care of our animals, so now we can get the best out of them. It means I get a better income, my children eat better and we're all happier."

From productivity to propserity 

We’ve been working with Brooke, an animal welfare charity, providing farming families in villages like Aliha's with the skills, knowledge and tools they need to thrive.

"Afghanaid set up a group for livestock owners in our village, through which they have given us tools and animal food, and run training courses about animal health. In the past, our animals would often die from diseases but Afghanaid has taught us how to feed our animals more nutritious food and how to spot the signs if they need some kind of treatment, so they are living longer, healthier lives; they are stronger and work harder so Masuma and I can provide more for our kids.

Our children have always liked our animals and they help me and Masuma to take care of them. Since I started my training, I come home and tell them all about the new things I have learned, so they can grow up understanding how to look after them properly.

My youngest son, Saijad, particularly likes our young calf – he is always trying to hug it and play with it!

These days I don’t worry like I used to. As parents, it makes Masuma and I happy to see that our children are growing up healthy and strong. Thanks to Afghanaid, I can see that our future will be bright."

We need your help to continue supporting these farmers

Over the coming years, we will continue supporting farming families like Aliha's. Please support a family today and become part of a lasting solution for a more resilient future.

The effects of your gift, however small or large, will be long-lasting, as the people you help now will be able to pass on their new skills to their families and friends, and invest in the future of their communities.