STORY: Poverty haunts locals in post-war Afghanistan
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 12-13, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 19, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:10
LOCATION: Kabul
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): ABDUL ZAHIR, Kabul resident
3. various of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): CHINAR GUL, Kabul resident
5. various of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan

STORYLINE:

Decades of foreign invasions, internal conflicts, and civil strife have left Afghanistan in a state of devastation, displacement, and extreme poverty.

Local people in post-war Afghanistan are still haunted by poverty.

Zahir, who fled the conflict in his native Kunduz province, now lives in a slum in Kabul. With a heavy heart, he described the grim reality for families like his, where food is a constant concern.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): ABDUL ZAHIR, Kabul resident
"I've been living here for 20 years, facing countless challenges. We have no jobs, yet there are 10 people in my family. When life is better, there's food on the table. But when we're jobless, we might eat one day and go hungry for the next two. Every day I go to the city square looking for a job, but I return empty-handed."

Gul, originally from the war-torn Helmand province, has lived in Kabul for 18 years. The war, he said, had consumed everything he had, leaving him in deep poverty.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): CHINAR GUL, Kabul resident
"I can earn 150 to 200 afghanis a day. But what can I buy with that? Even if I get flour, I can't afford oil, sugar, or tea. Our situation is clear: if we have dinner, we don't have breakfast, and if we have breakfast, there's no dinner."

A United Nations report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in August revealed that 23.7 million Afghans, over half of the country's population, need humanitarian assistance, and 48 percent live below the poverty line.

Afghanistan's caretaker administration has launched development projects, including canals, mining, and roads, to create jobs and reduce poverty. However, locals believe it will take years to overcome the challenges.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kabul.
(XHTV)