Shivering In Torn Tents: The Struggle Of Displaced Families In Zaranj

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): In the Terminal area of Zaranj city, the capital of northwestern Nimroz province, dozens of internally displaced and returning families are enduring the harsh winter under old, tattered tents. Mothers and fathers, trying to shield their children from the biting cold, hold them close and appeal to the government and charitable organizations for urgent help.

On a ruined private piece of land in the Terminal area, some eighty poor families-including both internally displaced and returning households-spend their days and nights under makeshift shelters. While they continue to call for assistance, an official has confirmed that some aid has already been distributed to these families.

Among these families are women who serve as both mothers and breadwinners-the last hope for their children. Widows and mothers, displaced by floods or forced migration, now struggle against winter and poverty under rickety tents.

Qazalgul: A mother between cold, homelessness

Qazalgul Tajik, originally from Kunduz province, lost her home a year ago when floods swept through her village. She now lives in the Terminal area of Zaranj, alongside dozens of families displaced by natural disasters or returning from Iran, spending day and night under worn-out tents.

The widow said:“We don't even have a proper tent. We live under a torn piece of cloth. We shiver through the night, and our children suffer. We have no blankets or anything. We have taken refuge in this field before God. Winter is extremely hard for us.”

She added that life in Chahar Dara district of Kunduz had been relatively peaceful:“I had a clay house where we lived quietly, but the flood came and destroyed everything. My husband died under the debris, but we survived. Our farmland was ruined, and I came to Nimroz with my children. They told us there was work here and winter wouldn't be severe, but here too, there is no work and life is not easy.”

While burning a few pieces of wood to prepare tea for breakfast, she explained that most days they survive on dry bread with tea. She urged the government and aid organizations to pay attention to the plight of these tent-dwelling families.

Sabzagul: We go hungry most days

Another widow, Sabzagul, who lost all her belongings in floods, lives next to Qazalgul's tent with her sick husband and seven young children. She spends day and night under a torn tent and says that, due to the cold and lack of fuel, all her children have fallen ill.

She said:“We are dying from hunger and cold. There is nothing in our tents. Yesterday it rained and water leaked inside. We don't even have a proper tent... Most days we have no bread, and my children go hungry.”

Sabzagul urged the government, aid agencies, and philanthropists to provide shelter, winter clothing, and food, warning that otherwise everyone will fall ill.“I ask the government, institutions, and generous people to have mercy on us. My husband has kidney stones, my children are sick, and I have high blood pressure... I don't know what to do.”

Expulsion, homelessness and fear of tomorrow

Rizagul, another woman, lost her husband and son-the family's breadwinners-while migrating to Iran about three years ago. She recently returned and now lives in a single tent with another widow.

She said:“We freeze at night. I don't even have a separate tent and share one with another widow. We have nothing at home and cannot take a bath even once a month. We don't have soap or shampoo. Life is very hard for us.”

Concerned about her children's future, she appealed to charitable organizations, the government, and individuals for help.“We ask the government to provide shelter, winter clothing for our children, and food; our problems are numerous,” she said.

Similarly, Khan Murad, originally from Balkh province and recently returned from Iran, said he had migrated due to unemployment and economic hardship. One month ago, he was repatriated and now lives under a tent in Zaranj city with his family-a life he described as“very miserable.”

Khan Murad, who works as a day laborer in Zaranj's Mandawi market, said:“I worked a few days and earned 700 Afghanis, but spent it all on medical treatment for my sick children. The government and organizations must pay attention to us.”

Winter assistance: A promise for the future

Mawlawi Qasim Mohammad, head of Disaster Management in Nimroz province, said that, with support from the Danish Refugee Council, more than four million Afghanis have been distributed to 1,576 affected families in the districts of Charborkak, Khashrud, Kang, and Chakhansur.

He added that each family received 2,650 Afghanis in cash and promised that in the next phase, tent-dwelling families in central Zaranj city will also be included in the aid distribution.

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