“Poverty in Afghanistan” by Tanner R.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. When people think about Afghanistan they typically think of the country that is a breeding ground for terrorism and violence, and that’s not wrong. Since the USSR (Soviet Union) invaded the country in 1979 there has been continuous conflict in Afghanistan. However, what people don’t tend to question is how this country had gotten to this point.

What often happens is that when poverty is widespread in a county, terrorism and instability take hold. That is exactly the case in Afghanistan. Infact, poverty in Afghanistan had been a huge problem since the Soviets invaded the country in 1979, and poverty stayed when the Soviets left in 1988.

Picture from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The lack of jobs in Afghanistan is also a big problem for the country. In 2013-2014 there were  1.92 million people unemployed, and unemployment reached 22.6%. The Afghan job crisis is especially challenging for youth. One in two unemployed Afghans is 14-24 years old, and 500,000 Afghan male youths are unemployed.

 Agriculture is usually the major occupation for a large portion of the population, but the area has suffered from nearly 30 years of conflict and natural disasters. The average size of landholdings is small, and as a result agriculture is usually not the main source of food or income. About two thirds of rural households own some livestock, and farmers also sell their labour.

With no jobs it becomes virtually impossible to receive an education and people’s living conditions and medical care are almost nothing. Hans Rosling, a Sweedish physician stated that, “There is still a severe and scary amount of extreme poverty in parts of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, and Sub-Saharan Africa.”

According to Aryana Aid:

• 71.9% of adults are incapable of even basic reading and writing skills.
• one-fifth of Afghan women of child-bearing age are underweight.
• Life expectancy is only around 62 years old. In comparison, the average life expectancy in the U.S is about 79.
• 50% of children under 5 years are chronically malnourished.
• A 2008 estimate of the percentage of children aged 5-14 suggests that at least 25% were involved in child labor.
• It is estimated that 42%  of the country's total population lives below the national poverty line.
• For every 100,000 births, 460 mothers die and for every 1,000 births, 119 infants die. That leaves Afghanistan with the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world, and the third highest infant mortality rate.

Slums in Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan households are usually very large. They include a lot of children and several generations that share the same dwelling. An estimated 70,792 families live in makeshift camps or slums with poor sanitation and limited living space with about 25% surviving in these places for 10 years or more. People have thought of ways to try to help Afghan poverty. One of them is to prioritize education. We need to have more educated people in Afghanistan. The Afghans need better access to education, but this does not come without some problems. It would be hard for parents to send their children to school because they are likely needed at home to help their family. It would also be hard to send children to school during conflicts. What would be some other ways to help? Without help things are only going to get worse. In fact, the number one killer in Afghanistan is not armed conflict. It is poverty.

Works Cited

“Poverty in Afghanistan.” Aryana Aid, www.aryanaaid.org.uk/about/afghanistan-poverty. “Afghanistan Poverty Status Update – Progress at Risk.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/country/afghanistan/publication/afghanistan-poverty-status-update-report-2017. Project, Borgen. “10 Disturbing Facts about Poverty in Afghanistan.” The Borgen Project, Borgen Project Https://Borgenproject.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg, 4 Nov. 2019, borgenproject.org/poverty-in-afghanistan/.