The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, together with the effects of COVID-19 outbreak and an unprecedented drought across the country, have led to high levels of unemployment and lost livelihoods among most Afghan families.

Like many other Afghans, Bibi Gulsoom’s husband lost his job and became a casual labourer. Since there wasn't much work available in the market, Sayed Samiullah earned a tiny income that wasn’t enough to regularly feed his children.

“We lived in poverty and our life had become full of misery. My husband could only afford to get us food once a day, we would stay hungry for the rest of the time,” Gulsoom said explaining her living conditions.

As a mother of nine children from Qaisar District in the northern Faryab Province, Gulsoom always desired to support her husband to make a decent living for the family. Opportunities were scarce for her as a woman from a conservative community. Her seven sons and two daughters were very keen to get an education hoping to improve the family’s situation in the future. However, the difficult conditions of the family have stopped them from achieving their dream.

Gulsoom was surprised to know that she can make an income from selling home-grown vegetables in the local market. FAO’s home gardening assistance, funded by the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), enabled her to grow vegetables for domestic consumption and sell some in the market.