Food packages for families in need
Families in need in Afghanistan are supported with food parcels. The aim is not only to help the families, but also to strengthen the local economy as the food is purchased locally.
Two food packages worth € 75.00 have already been distributed, which will last for a month or even longer. Each package contains:
50 kg flour
22 kg rice
2 kg tomato paste
3.5 kg sugar
1 kg green tea
1 kg salt
3.5 kg beans
5 l oil for cooking
4 large boxes of matches
And the transport of the package is also included.
The Muslem Family*
In June 2024 Roshany was able to distribute the 1st monthly food package to a single mother in Kabul (Afghanistan) with 4 children aged between 5 and 12.
The woman is widowed because her husband died in a car accident in 2023. The Muslem family* makes a living by the mother selling old bottles that she collects on the street. It’s not easy to always find enough empty bottles on the street and if she can’t find any, there’s no food at home, the mother says. She goes on to say that the family sometimes has to go to bed hungry for 2 to 3 days because there is no money left for food.
The 12-year-old son also has to work as a shoeshine boy on the street so that the family can pay the rent for the apartment. The family of five lives in just one room and sleeps on plastic carpets. There are no cushions or mattresses and it is very cold in winter. In winter, the mother even has to light a fire in the room so that the children don’t freeze. The mother goes on to say that the children are often ill and there is no money for medication, but they receive medication free of charge from the pharmacy – but without a visit to the doctor, as this is also unaffordable.
When the family received the food parcel, they were very happy. The mother cried a lot and said that she hadn’t had any food to cook at home two days before. The donated food parcel would last her three to four months because she said that the family would only eat two meals a day so that the food would last as long as possible and the children would have something to eat for a long time.
* Name of the family pseudonymized
The Mohammad Family*
In July 2024 Roshany was able to distribute the 2nd monthly food parcel to a family of 9 in Kabul (Afghanistan). The Mohammad family* consists of a widowed mother with 7 children and the grandfather. The father of the family died about two years ago and since then the family has been living with the maternal grandfather in a two-room apartment.
The grandfather, who himself has limited mobility due to his advanced age and has poor eyesight, especially in the evenings, provides for the family alone by selling ice cream on foot with a small ice cream cart in the summer. He earns around 2,000 Afghani a month from selling ice cream in the summer, which is the equivalent of around 30 euros. Of these 2,000 Afghani, the family has to pay 1,000 Afghani rent for the apartment. The remaining 1,000 Afghani is used to buy food. However, you don’t get much for 1,000 Afghani – only about 10 kg of rice, 10 kg of flour, a little sugar and tea, for example.
In winter, the grandfather, who is in poor health, is unable to operate a mobile vending cart on the street on foot, as there is an increased risk of him falling in the bad weather conditions. His daughter then has to ask for money on the street so that the family can pay the rent and buy something to eat.
The family was very happy about the food parcel and thanked us very much.
* Name of the family pseudonymized
