Four months after the Taliban took power, Obedura Alikill found himself unemployed and having a hard time making a living because his son was lying in bed and he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes to fight malnutrition.
In the summer of 2021, Alikill told ABC News in December that Mohammed Alikhil, a 2-year-old boy weighing about 12 pounds, was hospitalized for the first time, and he was hospitalized for 21 days with severe diarrhea. Because the United States is preparing to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban's strength continues to grow.
At the end of his stay, he was taken home. But according to Alikill, his condition only worsened, leading to a second visit.
Several visits and medications did not help Mohammed recover. Without a solution, bills continue to pile up and families' finances become more challenging.
With less and less money in his family, Mohammed is one of the millions of Afghans on the brink of starvation. According to UNICEF's World Food Programme, more than 23 million Afghans are facing severe hunger, with 9 million of them nearly starving to death.
The United Nations Development Programme estimates that by mid-2022, 97 percent of the Afghan population will be "plunged" into poverty. By the end of this year, as many as 1 million children under the age of five in the country could die from food crises and lack of water and sanitation services, according to UNICEF.
The cold weather that comes with winter complicates the situation. To keep Muhammad warm, Alikir boiled water and placed the kettle next to his bed.
According to UNICEF, efforts to keep families warm may increase the risk of disease. If your child is malnourished, the risk of illness is higher and it may take longer to recover.
Abdel Qadir Musse, former UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, said in a press release on 15 January that we are approaching a critical time for Afghan children because of the many threats to their health posed by winter.
He said, "There's no time to waste. Without urgent and coordinated action – including ensuring we have the resources to deploy additional cash transfers and winter supplies – many children in this country will not be able to see spring alive. ”
After the Taliban took power last August and froze more than $9 billion in assets, the financial situation for Afghans has become even more dire.
The measures to freeze foreign exchange reserves are aimed at preventing resources from falling into the hands of the Taliban. U.N. aid to Afghanistan is about $135 million, but the Taliban-run central bank lacks the infrastructure to convert it into afghanistan, the country's currency, so it can't get that funding.
As a way to meet the needs of families, UNICEF issued a $2 billion appeal in December to meet the needs of more than 24 million Afghans. The appeal will "help avert the collapse of children's and families' health, nutrition, health campaigns, education and other vital social services." "
The United States is also involved in assisting Afghanistan as it responds to its growing humanitarian crisis. In January, USAID announced it would provide more than $308 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghans, bringing the total amount of aid since October 2020 to nearly $782 million.
A press release at the time said the United States continued to urge the Taliban to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian personnel, provide security for humanitarian personnel, provide independent assistance to all vulnerable groups, and provide freedom of movement for aid workers of all genders. "We will continue our efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people and call on other donors to continue to contribute to this international response."
However, the United States is under increasing pressure to unfreeze Afghan assets. In January, the Taliban met with Western diplomats from the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Norway at a series of closed-door meetings in Oslo to discuss the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of Afghans.
It was the first formal meeting of the organization since it came to power six months ago.
Taliban Rep. Shafiula Azam said in an interview with The Associated Press in January, "We ask them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans for their political rhetoric." "Because of hunger and the deadly winter, I think the international community should support afghans and not punish them for their political disputes."
For people like Alikir, they're trying to find opportunities in a country in conflict and in the leadership of the Taliban.
"I just want to create a job opportunity from them [for us] so that our lives will be better, I'm an educated person and I need a job so I can serve my country," he said. ”
Without money and resources, some families are forced to make terrible decisions to earn some money — even if it means selling their children.
Howdy Ram, who is struggling to support himself and his family, told ABC News, "So far, this kid belongs to me; I have the right to sell him." "If things get better, I'll let him learn. But that's how we stayed. "
He said it was normal to sell our daughter, but it was so bad that I had to sell my son because we were hungry. "What happens after selling my son, it's not up to me to decide. He could eventually be killed or allowed to go to school. ”
Others can only choose to sell their organs in exchange for some money to buy a meal.
Ghulam Hazrat told ABC News, "I can't go out and beg for money. I can't beg. Then I decided to go to the hospital and sell my kidneys so I could at least feed my kids for a while. ”
They have more than 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees, making them one of the largest in the world. According to the UNHCR, about 2.2 million people have been transferred to Iran and Pakistan. As the conflict worsens and the Taliban come to power, UNHCR predicts that this number will continue to rise.
As Arikir struggled to find a job to support his family, he was hopeful about Muhammad and his recovery after opening his eyes again.
He said only God knows what will happen in the future and whether we will be helped. "In our community, until now, we haven't gotten any help, whether it's money or flour. So far, no one has helped us. ”
Alikhil said, I just want to make some money so I can take care of the family's expenses, that's all.