Rhamatullah's Life Story

My Story

By Rahmatullah son of Wali Mohamad, from Shurcha Village Takhar Province in Afghanistan

Translated by: Jawid Ahmad

My life as a refugee…

I am Rahmatullah Wali Mohamad and I live in Shorcha village in Takhar province with my family of 14 members. I have 13 children and one wife. Unlike in my youth, when the security situation in my village was very stable and jobs were easy to get in the nearby Taloqan city, these days we no longer walk freely and many businesses collapsed during the war. In my younger days, farmers like me were able to produce food surpluses besides growing cash crops such as cotton, which we sold to earn some income. The war in Afghanistan, however, has brought untold suffering to the people of Shorcha village. Poverty in our village is unprecedented and jobs are simply nonexistent. In 2002, I was forced to immigrate with my family to Pakistan. We settled in Quita city and hoped to secure jobs and improve our living conditions, but jobs were scarce for refugees. We did work some manual labor, but soon realized that life in Pakistan was not any better. We moved from city to city in search of a better life but our sense of security continued to deteriorate. We decided to move to Iran in 2005 and settled in Bandar Abas Province. Unfortunately, life in Iran was even more difficult, so we had to return to Afghanistan in 2007.

 

Vulnerable poor returnee…

Back home in Afghanistan, we could not get resources to restart out livelihoods and our family wallowed in extreme poverty. I resumed farming but received low yields from my fields due to low soil fertility and poor infrastructure. I did not have any livestock and my family was always malnourished.

Shelter for Life has changed my life…

In 2009, officials from Shelter for Life International and local government representatives visited our village. The officials wanted to know our point of view on any current problems our village was facing. We told them how it was difficult for returnees to get funds to start their lives over again. Other issues included poor quality of roads and agriculture infrastructure. Shortly thereafter, we received information that the village was chosen as a candidate for the development project that would assist targeted vulnerable members of the village.

The villagers were jubilated by this information and participated in project development. Shelter for Life officials revealed that they had contacted USDA and appealed for assistance with funding.

On September 1, 2009, Shelter for Life staff visited our village again. They brought the good news that USDA had agreed to support the poor people of Shurcha village. The village elders, together with the local government, worked with the community to identify the vulnerable people who required assistance. I was one of the lucky villagers.

We each received assistance with loans to improve our farming and business. For starters, we were advised to form savings and credit association that would manage our savings and credit scheme. We formed an association with a membership of five people each, which consists of farmers and small business people. We were trained in management skills and assigned us to prepare a business plan to help businesses and farms earn more income.   I prepared a plan, and Shelter for Life helped me improve it before giving me a loan. I used the loan to buy a cow at 1600 Afghans, a goat at 400 Afghans and used 10,000 Afghans to expand my shop.

 

I am now able to feed my family…

My life has changed tremendously since I received the loan from Shelter for Life. The cow has since given birth. It produces adequate milk for the family and a little surplus that I sell in the market. The officers from Shelter for Life brought some experts who trained us on how to preserve the milk. Now I sell fresh milk to traders selling yoghurt in Taloqan. I have even signed a contract with one of the traders so I get a good price for my milk.

 My cow and goat are healthy…

Our association is also linked with a veterinary service shop in Taloqan where I get livestock drugs to treat the cows when they get sick. Now I can treat my animals well and they are staying healthy.

I can pay school fees…

The sales from my shop have increased and my income has grown well. I can now replace the goods in my shop every week and the earnings are helping me to take 4 of my children to school. I can also buy their uniforms and feed them well.

The village has fresh water…

Shelter for Life provided us with clean water so the villagers no longer walk for long distances in search of water. Instead, my family can concentrate on farming, tending to my livestock and the shop.

My farm can now feed the family…

I use the manure from the cow and the goat to fertilize my land. Now wheat and vegetable yields have improved and I get small surpluses which I sell in Taloqan market. Our road is being rehabilitated through another project funded by USDA and this will make it easier for me to move the goods to Taloqan market.

Loan repayment…

I have been able to repay the loan from my improved earnings. In the future I want to expand my farming by increasing the land area under wheat and horticultural crops and buying one additional cow to improve milk production and supply of manure to my farm.

Challenges

Despite the improvements in our lives as result of Shelter for Life interventions, our community still faces major challenges that minimize our capacity to manage our own lives. Insecurity remains a big problem despite the government’s effort to reduce it. Local people live in perpetual fear of attacks from armed groups.

Taking my children to school is still a challenge. Although our income has significantly improved, it is still a major struggle to get enough income to educate all my children and grand children. Jobs are slowly becoming available but are still not enough to keep everybody employed.

Improving agricultural infrastructure, land productivity, crop yields and opening up markets for our produce still remain a major challenge.

Although some households got their shelters improved during this project, many people like me still live in poor shelters with no furniture or covers to protect children during the cold winters. This has contributed to increased child mortality in our village. I would like to appeal to Shelter for Life to construct more shelters to improve our living conditions.