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Poverty and unemployment drive children in Nangarhar out of classrooms
Officials at Nangarhar’s Department of Labor and Social Affairs insist they are making progress, noting that recent initiatives have begun to reduce the number of working children.
Worsening poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province are forcing thousands of children into hard labor, depriving many of them of the education they need to break the cycle of hardship.
In Jalalabad city alone, dozens of children can be seen working in the streets from dawn to dusk — polishing shoes, selling goods, or collecting recyclables — instead of attending school.
For many, their daily income determines whether their families can afford a single loaf of bread. Some are the sole breadwinners for their households, saying they have no choice but to work in order to provide what they describe as a “halal livelihood” for their loved ones.
Civil society activists describe the trend as alarming and warn that the number of child laborers continues to grow. They are calling for comprehensive, sustained programs to remove children from exploitative work and return them to classrooms.
Officials at Nangarhar’s Department of Labor and Social Affairs insist they are making progress, noting that recent initiatives have begun to reduce the number of working children.
One effort by the Islamic Emirate involves gathering child laborers and providing them with vocational training. However, experts caution that such measures fall far short of the scale of support and educational access needed to protect children’s welfare.
Afghanistan is in the grip of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with decades of conflict, economic collapse, and natural disasters driving millions into poverty.
The UN estimates that more than half of the population faces acute food insecurity, while unemployment remains widespread. In rural and urban areas alike, families often rely on children to supplement or replace lost income, perpetuating a cycle in which poverty forces children out of school and into low-paid, hazardous work.
Afghanistan has received more than $11 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021, according to United Nations figures cited by the BBC.
Despite the substantial aid, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funding remains wide, with the United Nations warning that millions of Afghans continue to require assistance.
The decline in international funding, a growing number of people in need and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have added pressure to the country’s humanitarian situation.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. The depreciation of the national currency, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reductions in some international support programs further strained the economy and living conditions.
UN data shows that Afghanistan received about $5.2 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2021, followed by around $3.8 billion in 2022 and nearly $2 billion in 2023.
For 2024 and 2025, the United Nations appealed for more than $3 billion to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. However, funding fell short of the amounts requested.
The assistance has largely been directed toward food, healthcare, support for returnees and other urgent humanitarian needs.
The United Nations continues to classify Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, stressing that sustained international support remains essential for millions of Afghans who continue to need assistance.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed deep sorrow over a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people and forcing around 5,000 others to evacuate.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island and surrounding areas on Saturday, blocking roads and triggering landslides, Indonesian authorities said.
In a statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Indonesia over the casualties caused by the earthquake.
It also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshed Khojaev in the city of Termez to discuss expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
The meeting, held on Saturday at the Termez Trade Center, focused on cooperation in the electricity, mining and agriculture sectors, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
Uzbek officials expressed interest in investing in various sectors in Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation welcomed the interest and emphasized its readiness to create the necessary conditions for expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
Mohammad Yousuf Wafa, governor of Balkh, and Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tashkent, also attended the meeting.
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