September-October 2025
I have just returned from a stay of more than two months in Afghanistan, a country that I have known for over twenty years and which nevertheless surprises and upsets me every time I return.
This year, I found women more anxious, tenser, quieter. Their fatigue is deep, almost existential. Faced with this heavy climate, I had to adapt my projects: reduce my trips to the reception center, receive more women at home, prioritize small circles rather than large gatherings. This is not the first time that I have had to reinvent myself to continue my mission, and it may be the main element that I learned during these twenty years: the ability to continue despite everything, to move forward in the shadows, to act without making noise, but always pursuing the goals I set.
And despite this heavy atmosphere, despite the risks involved, we have accomplished so much:
• Each month of the year 2025, 75 families – of widowed women or living with a disabled husband – were able to receive food aid that allowed them to feed themselves.
• Two mobile midwives were able to inform 420 young women about the risks of too close pregnancies and the vital importance of an interval of 12 to 18 months between each birth.
• We distributed contraceptives available in Kabul: pills, injections, intrauterine devices,... ; so many simple tools that change lives.
• And 35 young girls were able to continue their English and computer classes, an open door to a future that I hope will be brighter.
Through these actions, hundreds of women have been able to benefit from better maternity care and regain some semblance of control over their lives.
I was also able to see on the ground the lasting impact of our past projects. The carts we have distributed to sell fruits, vegetables or small dishes continue to ensure regular income for their owners. Sewing and embroidery machines still circulate in the streets of Kabul, regularly providing families with a modest but stable income.
Seeing these women work, hold on, is undoubtedly what touches me the most. Even with small budgets, we manage to break circles of dependency and offer real pathways to autonomy. Thanks to them, their families have regained a certain food security. Thanks to them, dignity survives.
I measure the strength of these women every day, but also the strength of those who support us. Without you, none of this would have been possible.
We will continue to move forward, fight, protect, support. As long as you are by our side, Afghan women will never be completely alone.
Thank you for continuing to walk with us. Thank you, above all, for continuing to believe in them.
SAMIM Rohina, founder of Hope for Afghan Women
