"I was twelve years old when I got married. After my father's death, my mother remarried and my father-in-law forced her to give me to a 74-year-old man as a wife. I was little and I don't remember much of that period. I wanted to go to school and my husband agreed. But, we lived in the country and the school was far away. So, I remained illiterate".
Aida's hand was injured during some fighting. The injury was not very serious, but they had no money to buy medicine and an infection set in. By the time she reached a hospital, it was too late. Her hand had been amputated.
Aida is now 27 years old and a widow with four children under the age of 12, including an 8-year-old girl. She raised them with love, trying to give them everything she could. The situation in her area had not improved much over the years and she did not want them to be physically or culturally held back like her. "In our province, my children ran the risk of not going to school, and staying illiterate like me". For Aida and her husband, their children's education was very important. So, they decided to move to Kabul, even if this meant facing heavy sacrifices and living together in a small rented room.
"My husband died a few years ago, before the Taliban came back. We managed to get by thanks to the help of the government, and especially relatives and friends, who gave us food and clothes".
Under the new Taliban regime, the Afghan population has sunk even deeper into poverty. No one is able to help Aida now. She remains an invalid and illiterate and has no hope of finding work. Since June 2022, our Dignity project has given her the basic necessities she needs to live and to send her children to school.