Nur* lives with her husband and their four children in a small village in the mountainous Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. A remote community, families here have to rely on their own farming to ensure they have enough to eat. A shepherd by trade, Nur knows all too well that her animals are her lifeline. 

Before working with Afghanaid, Nur was not properly trained in how to keep her animals fit and healthy, often resulting in illness or death for the animal and not enough produce for Nur’s family. “Before Afghanaid we had a lot of problems, we did not bring our animals to the vet when they got sick,” she told us. “We did not give them enough food or water on time, so they were not strong or healthy. We also did not know how to make products like cheese and yoghurt properly.”

Then, when Afghanaid began working with women in Nur’s area, everything changed. Nur was taught how to ensure her animals were in the best possible condition; tending to sore muscles, giving them fodder correctly, and taking them to the veterinarian when needed.

“When our animals' babies are born, we keep them in a clean and safe place, allow the baby to be with their mother to drink and gain strength… before Afghanaid we did not know that we should do this.”

These changes have made huge differences to the animals’ welfare, but also to the animal products on which Nur depends. She completed one of Afghanaid’s training courses about how to make quality yoghurt, cheese and qorut, which she can now sell at the local market: “After taking part in Afghanaid’s training sessions, we have been very active selling produce. Over the last three years, this has meant that our lives have improved.”

Thank you Afghanaid, these lessons were very useful to us and we thank you very much.

Now with a profitable small business, Nur is safe in the knowledge that she can provide for her family, whilst also learning new skills and gaining personal autonomy. Her well cared for animals will now support the family for many years to come, and ensure her young children can grow up healthy and strong.

Help more women like Nur

We need your help to continue to support Afghan women to feed their families and rebuild their lives. Become a regular giver today and by giving just £9 a month, you could purchase the equipment one woman like Nur needs start their own dairy processing business to start producing & selling yogurt, butter and cheese. 

I'd like to join Afghanaid's regular giving community

*Please note, we have changed her name to protect her privacy.

---

Did you like this story? Sign up to our email newsletter to receive regular stories like this, straight into your inbox.