From teacher to shoe-cleaner: Afghanistan’s economic crisis has little to do with it Humanitarian Crisis News

Hadia Ahmadi, a 43-year-old professor who lost his job after the Taliban took over Kabul, is now polishing his shoes to earn a living.

Hadia Ahmadi, a 43-year-old teacher who lost her job in the Afghan capital after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital in August, is sitting on the side of the road trying to earn the equivalent of a few cents to polish her shoes.

The sudden withdrawal of foreign aid after the Taliban victory has sent Afghans fragile economy entering the free fall, starving millions and forcing the wealthy middle-class families of the past.

“When I saw that my children were hungry, I went to polish my shoes,” said Ahmadi, a five-year-old who did not want to be named after his family.

The economy has long been in turmoil. dependent dependent that is now extinct and has huge gaps among the millions who live above the Kabul elite and the bread line.

After 10 years of teaching, her husband worked as a cook in a private company and as a daughter in a government agency as a civil servant.

With the girls’ schools closed indefinitely, she had to go to work first, and soon lost her husband and then her daughter. A son who was studying computer science had to leave his lesson when his family could not afford the tuition.

Hadia Ahmadi’s husband and daughter also lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis [Ali Khara/Reuters]

Road shows household goods for sale They have been set up throughout Kabul as families try to raise money for food. They testify to how common Ahmadi’s experiences have become, with people taking steps that were unimaginable at one time to survive.

“Right now we are going through a famine, and for now, there is no one in our family who is able to help us all financially,” he said.

The United Nations has warned that a humanitarian disaster In Afghanistan and trying to raise $ 4.5 billion to help prevent the worst, however foreign aid blocked and near the collapse of the banking system, the economy has been stifled by a lack of money.

When the Taliban came to power in 1996-2001, they did not allow women to work outside the home and severely restricted women’s employment opportunities. But for many like Ahmadi there is no alternative.

“Some widows are the only food suppliers in their families, and some women want to help their husbands financially,” she said. “The Taliban should allow women to go to work. They have to be given jobs, there are no jobs at the moment. ”

Hadia Ahmadi’s family had a modest prosperity that was taken away in a few weeks [Ali Khara/Reuters]