Every day, Noor, a mother from northeastern Afghanistan, begins her day by tending to her cow, preparing fresh milk and yoghurt that nourish her children and help cover household expenses.

But life has not always been this way.

Living in the mountainous terrain of one of Afghanistan's most isolated provinces, Noor and her family have long faced hardship. Since the humanitarian crisis which began in 2021, these daily struggles deepened. Like many in their area, Noor found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet or afford basic necessities. 

Despite their determination to support their households, women in rural communities face severe barriers to earning an income, and in all areas of public life. With limited opportunities available, many depend entirely on their male family members, placing further strain on already stretched household budgets.

When Afghanaid visited Noor's community and spoke with residents and local leaders, what emerged was a clear need for sustainable, home-based livelihoods that could also address the pressing issue of child malnutrition. Afghanistan is currently experiencing its sharpest surge ever in child malnutrition rates, impacting 3.5 million children under five. To provide Afghan boys and girls with the brighter future they deserve, ensuring families have the ability to build long term solutions to hunger and malnutrition is crucial. 

TACKLE THIS CRISIS

In response, Afghanaid launched a dairy farming initiative, a programme they have successfully implemented across the country in recent years. Through this, women like Noor were provided with dairy cows, livestock equipment, and specialised training. The project was carefully designed to do more than simply boost household income. It aimed to improve child nutrition, ease financial pressure on male family members, and create accessible, secure employment for women.

Within just one year, the results Noor has seen have been tremendous. Afghanaid’s support has brought tangible improvements to living conditions, nutrition, and overall well-being among participating families, especially women and children. 

"The milk and yoghurt we produce are used well" explained Noor, "We feed our children with it, we consume it ourselves, and when we have extra, we take it to the market and sell it."

With this ability to both safeguard her children's health and also build a livelihood of her own, Noor was able to live life each day without constant stress or anxiety, and grew in confidence and independence. With her children's health protected, and with a female household earner, important long term changes were possible, such as the prioritisation of her children's education.

We use the money from the milk and yoghurt for household expenses. It covers the cost of pens and notebooks for our children. Our life has changed a lot compared to before receiving help from Afghanaid.

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