Support for Fawzia
Without the support of a parent, orphans can find it difficult to access education, healthcare and other services. This problem is compounded by conflict, especially in Afghanistan, where public services have been battered during clashes.
Eighteen-year-old Fawzia is one of over a million orphans living in Afghanistan. “My father passed away when I was 15,” she said, “and my mother died a year ago.”
Disability
“I was 11 years old when the civil war broke out in and around Kabul city,” said Fawzia, “One day, I was on my way home, carrying water from a nearby mosque. My mother had told me not to collect water, but I could not resist.
“All of a sudden, I heard a loud blast and then I do not remember a single second. When I woke up I found myself in a hospital bed. I did not know what had happened but I heard a nurse whispering that I was paralysed and had no control of my lower body.”
Despite her disability, Fawzia is determined to better her life through education, “I am the only hope for my grandma and grandpa as they have no one else to depend on.”
Every morning Fawzia attends classes, and in the afternoon she goes to a centre for the disabled to learn English and I.T.
Ramadhan
In 2006 Fawzia received a Ramadhan food parcel from Islamic Relief (IR).
“I really appreciate such a gesture being done by an Islamic organization,” she thanked, “I only request that Islamic Relief support people like me.”
IR distributed over 4,000 food parcels in Afghanistan last year. Parcels were handed out to some of the poorest people in Kandahar and Kabul, including displaced people and returnee families living in tents or destroyed buildings.
IR’s projects in Afghanistan include water, sanitation, health, education and livelihoods support.
