Khowja Qeshqar Payeen is a mountainous village in Samangan, with cold winters, mild summers, and striking natural beauty. The area is rich in diverse plants, some familiar and used by the community, others still unexplored. Villagers uphold strong cultural values and traditions, with a deep sense of mutual support. This solidarity has been vital, because despite the beauty of their surroundings, the community has faced growing climate‑related challenges. 

Heavy rains bring flash floods, damaging farmland and, at times, threatening homes and lives. Alternating cycles of prolonged drought and irregular rainfall have dried trees, reduced vegetation cover, and weakened agricultural productivity, undermining the livelihoods families depend on. Over time, the grazing lands wore out, and because animals fed freely on the nearby mountains, much of the plants disappeared and livestock became weaker. 

Together, these pressures created serious economic challenges. With agriculture declining and fewer livelihood opportunities available, families struggled to make ends meet. As work became scarce, many young men left the village to seek employment in other provinces or abroad, leaving families to cope with reduced income and no back-up plan when tough times hit.

Then Afghanaid came to the area with UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding’, and built on the community’s tradition of mutual support, working alongside villagers to turn their collective strength into practical action. 

By engaging in hands-on training and receiving the tools and equipment needed to manage and reduce the effects of natural hazards, the villagers gained the knowledge and resources to safeguard their land and livelihoods. 

The community worked together to plant and care for over 4,000 saplings, which will grow and bear fruit, providing families with a valuable source of income in the future and locking water in the hillside. At the same time, they excavated more than 3,000 trenches and built dams to control water flow. They constructed a large reservoir to collect and store spring water, and laid a pipeline that now carries water to supply the trenches and irrigate the saplings. These measures protected farmland from flooding and restored agricultural land that had been steadily declining. 

To strengthen resilience in the long term, our team delivered training sessions in disaster risk reduction. A local Disaster Risk Committee was established, now raising awareness across the village and issuing timely warnings when hazards arise. Alongside this, we supplied all necessary tools, equipment, and materials to ensure all of the interventions could be maintained safely and effectively.

“Our plan is to protect and maintain all we have achieved, caring for the saplings, ensuring irrigation, and applying the skills we gained, so that we can secure better income opportunities and a more sustainable future for our community,” shared a villager in Khowja Qeshqar Payeen village.

The challenges faced in this village reflect a wider reality across Afghanistan. Across the Central Highlands, villages struggle with the same pressures, where fragile environments leave families exposed to floods, droughts, and water scarcity.

A community leader in Baghak village shared:

“Recent flash floods destroyed farmland and wiped out all the cash crops, leaving farmers without harvests and families without income. Many households could not afford seeds for the next season, while prolonged drought forced families to migrate in search of water. Youth and adolescents left abroad in hope of finding work, and others turned to coal mines to support their families. Groundwater levels dropped so severely that everyone in the villages faced water scarcity, and families had to sell their animals to pay for well drilling. These shocks deepened food insecurity and raised malnutrition cases in our community.”

Afghanaid responded by working with 45 communities to reduce these risks. Together with our local team, communities established key infrastructure to improve water access and strengthen environmental stability. 

Preparedness went beyond tools. Afghanaid helped form three task forces - early warning, search and rescue, and first aid - with equal participation from men and women. Members received training and now meet regularly to discuss challenges and find practical solutions. During recent floods, villagers applied early warning skills to protect children and livestock by moving them to safer areas. 

Their knowledge reduced stress and gave families confidence that they could act quickly if disaster struck. The training became so popular that people from neighboring villages joined sessions on natural resource management and disaster preparedness, carrying the knowledge back to their own communities. 

Mitigating flood risk was only one part of solving water challenges. By engaging community members in constructing watersheds, Afghanaid provided daily wages while helping families increase crop production and improve food security.

Many families expressed relief and optimism that they no longer need to migrate in search of work, as livelihood opportunities are now available locally. Whilst Afghan communities continue to face severe and increasing climate shocks and economic hardship, these stories show that step-by-step, with the right support, lasting change is possible. 

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