What’s changed?
An update from Afghanistan
The past year has held a multitude of tragedies and challenges for the nation of Afghanistan.
The global cost of living crisis, a dramatic change in government, natural disasters, all on top of an already fragile nation have led to much change in the lives of ordinary people. We spoke to BMS World Mission worker Ruby* about some of the differences she’s seen to life in the country over the last year – and some of the things that have stayed the same, thanks to the constant faithful prayers of BMS supporters.
What has changed?
The hustle and bustle…
Whether due to the cost of living crisis or the new political reality in Afghanistan, when Ruby arrived back in the country, the first thing she noticed was that there was much less traffic in the capital city. “It was much, much quieter. A lot fewer people on the streets generally milling around,” she says. “It was a normal busy city that was just chaotic traffic-wise before… but when we came back, it took us not a long time at all to flow through everything.” But despite there being fewer people on the streets, Ruby knows there are still so many communities which need her help – it’s why she committed to returning to work there despite the challenges.
The clothing…
The change in government means that women in Afghanistan now have to be much more careful with the clothes they wear. “We have to wear more layers now than we ever used to,” Ruby says. “We used to be able to just wear long dresses with trousers on… but now we’re having to wear full length jackets or wraps over our heads down to our feet.”
Ruby is used to wearing culturally appropriate clothing, but wearing more layers doesn’t make it easy for her in her work on agriculture projects. But she knows that if the communities she works with can do it, then she can too.
Access to work…
When the Taliban first took over, one of our partner’s main priorities was making sure it was safe for women at the organisation to go back to work. Thankfully, female staff members have been able to return to their jobs, but it’s not been an easy process. “When we arrived, we had to go and ask for permission to work; especially me because I work with men rather than women, which is very unusual,” explains Ruby.
Women have to carry paperwork with them at all times to prove they’re allowed to work, and even then, some authorities won’t let women go to work at all. All of this further reinforces for Ruby and her team just how crucial it is to keep working with and empowering women where they can, despite the challenging context.
The need…
“Prices are a lot more expensive. Some things have doubled in price,” says Ruby. “There are a lot more beggars on the street now than there ever was, so obviously poverty is on the rise.” We’re all experiencing challenges as the cost of living crisis goes on, but countries like Afghanistan, where people were already struggling, will be feeling the strain the most.
What hasn't changed?
Our partner’s commitment to helping those in need…
“All [my female colleagues] have come back [to work] – and they love their work and they love the fact they are helping people,” shares Ruby. Despite the challenges Afghanistan is facing right now, BMS and our partner have not given up hope of reaching people there. We’re working as hard as we can to get as much of our work back up and running, and even expanding, so we can make sure we can reach people in desperate need.
The commitment of BMS supporters to praying for Afghanistan…
BMS supporters have been lifting Afghanistan up in prayer so faithfully over the last year, and your prayers really have opened doors for BMS work to begin again. Thank you so much for your dedication and faithfulness – please do keep praying for this nation.
“Please pray for peace, mainly within people,” says Ruby. “I think there’s so much stress and so much uncertainty, people need to have peace within themselves, that they’re doing what they can. And pray for the new government, to be able to actually help its people.”
The opportunity to help…
You can keep supporting BMS work in Afghanistan through prayer, but also by giving regularly as a 24:7 Partner. Your monthly gifts can help Ruby in her agricultural work with vulnerable families struggling to feed their children, and make sure we can keep reaching people in need in Afghanistan. We’re also planning further opportunities for you to step in and help later on this year, so watch this space.
*Names changed.
Words by Laura Durrant.
