Widow Sponsorship

In Afghanistan, more women and children were killed and wounded in the first half of 2021 comparatively to the first six months of any year since 2009. Women and children made up close to half of all civilians casualties at 46%. (UN Report of Afghanistan, http://unama.unmission.org/sites/default/files/unama_poc_midyear_report_2021_26_july.pdf, Released on July 2021, accessed on September 2022).

As of September 2022, there are approximately 2.5 million widows in Afghanistan.

The widow sponsorship is designed for women who need to support their families in the absence of their male relatives/partner. The sponsorship is aimed at helping women who are often uneducated and confined at home since women have little power in the community once her husband dies. The project provides economic empowerment for about 50 annually in various provinces throughout Afghanistan. The widows are provided with food packages, hygiene kits and educational healthcare seminars.

One of the widows that we have been sponsoring is Zainab, a mother to 8 children, whose husband was killed in an explosion while on duty at the police station in.

‘I sent my three sons aged 8, 9 and 11 out to the streets at 5am to collect cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and beg for food from their local shops. There were times where my children came home crying because they have been physically assaulted by the shop keepers because of their unwanted visits,” says Zainab.

SROWZAR CHILDREN has been sponsoring Zainab and her family for the past 15 months. Our assistance will be discontinued once her eldest son is independent thus able to financially support his family.