Rizagul, a sixty-year-old woman from Farza district in Kabul province, moved to the city centre with her family three decades ago due to difficulties maintaining their livelihoods. In the urban area, they joined numerous others grappling with dire circumstances.
Rizagul has faced a life marked by economic difficulties and the challenge of ensuring food for her family. Despite her struggles, she once provided for her daughters, but now, unable to work, she watches them strive solely for basic sustenance.
After her husband, the family’s primary provider, was injured in Afghanistan’s internal conflicts and later succumbed to his injuries, Rizagul found herself alone with her four daughters. Struggling with financial difficulties and challenging circumstances, she took the initiative to support her family. She secured employment in Kabul’s offices and factories, dedicating several years to working in a central silo to ensure their livelihood.
Rizagul earned 5,000 Afghanis monthly and had two to three pieces of bread daily. She was content until silo production decreased, leading to her layoff.
Despite challenges, Rizagul persisted in her job search, exploring opportunities in Kabul’s kitchens. She sustained herself in janitorial and cleaning roles for a few years. However, her age and physical limitations presented obstacles, making her employment search even more challenging.
Rizagul has four daughters. She fears not being able to provide enough bread for her daughters. When they grew up and wanted to marry, she did not refuse and sent her daughters to their homes.
Two of her daughters have good living conditions with supportive husbands. However, the other two live with Rizagul in a small hut due to poor economic circumstances. One of Rizagul’s neighbours stays with her and helps.
Rizagul is now sick and unable to work. Before falling ill, she used to sell her handmade crafts by the road in Kabul. Her neighbour also assisted her in this work.
Rizagul did not wish for such a bitter and brutal fate, even for her enemies. However, now, she witnesses her daughters’ lives unfolding before her eyes, lives that strangely resemble her own. She wonders why it turned out this way and why her daughters’ lives are marked by the same pain and suffering she had experienced.
She deeply regrets not being able to send her daughters to school. She laments not providing the necessary conditions for their education. Rizagul believes illiteracy is the leading cause of the pain and suffering she once endured and now sees in her daughters’ lives.
