Laldana, Afghanistan "I earn between $70 to $80 a month"

Laldana's story

"My name is Laldana. I am a widow and have seven children. My husband went missing in Kabul during the civil war in 1992. We lived in [the northwestern Pakistani city of] Peshawar as refugees, where I worked in a factory and supported my children for the last 10 years. We came to Kabul in December, thinking the situation was better as we were hearing on the radio about how the world had pledged money for Afghanistan.

"The very first challenge when we arrived in Kabul was lack of shelter and the very high house rents. The only option was to seek vacant places in the damaged buildings to the west of Kabul, which were destroyed during the civil war. Even during the harsh Afghan winter, already hundreds of homeless families like us who could not afford to pay over US $100 a month for a simple apartment were living there.

"Now I am doing laundry for nearby areas and also cleaning in a house. I earn between $70 to $80 a month. We have been in three different places in the last 10 months as the owners of those ruined buildings are rebuilding their houses. Two of my elder children who studied up to grade three in refugee camp schools in Peshawar could not continue to go school here, because, like nomads, we have been moving to different parts of the city. Also, they have to help me with the heavy work. All the children work here. They usually go out and collect wood or other means of heating.

"I have knocked on many doors, including UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], but they said all they could do was to help returnees get back here and for the rest, we have to struggle ourselves. Still, I am luckier than hundreds of families around us where the men are jobless and are begging for a piece of bread.

"Our urgent need is a home, at least with windows, a door, a gate and a proper ceiling. The children are scared, as this building [we are occupying] has no gate. Winter is coming and unfortunately, we will have to pass another winter in the rubbles. There are many holes in the walls, which we cannot close and prevent the cold weather from entering. The only thing which helps me not to be disappointed is that we are not the only family to have such problems.

"But what is disappointing is the increasing number of families coming to live in these ruins, which alarms [and indicates to] me that the situation is getting worse. You will not find a vacant ruin in these surroundings. The shortage of housing in Kabul is becoming a major problem, not only for returnees, but also for others in our neighbourhood who have jobs such as civil servants or teachers but cannot afford to pay rent. I hope the government and the international community pay attention to the problem of housing in general and to the situation of widows in particular."