The Real Afghan People:

Samar Gula & Jauma Gul

"Your father and mother have died,
and your brother also."

Samar Gula is 7 years old.
Jauma Gul, her brother, is 8.

They are orphans, and they have swollen stomachs, which is a sign of malnutrition. They live in a village where 80% of the food crop failed so that the people only have enough food left for a few weeks. All the wells in the village dried up a long time ago, so people have to walk for 6 kilometres over the hills to get their daily drinking water

The children's father died a year ago. He got cholera from drinking bad water. He was taken to a clinic but the family didn't have enough money to pay for treatment, so he died. The children's 7-year-old brother died six months later, from the same cause. Their mother died soon afterwards from a problem with her heart.

The children live with their father's cousin, Shiraqa. He says:

"The children are very young and they ask me:

'Where is my mother and where is my brother?'

I tell them directly:

'Your father and mother have died and your brother also.'

A part of the body is SWOLLEN if it has become much bigger than normal because of an illness or injury

MALNUTRITION - not getting enough proper food

CHOLERA - a serious disease of the stomach and bowels caused by bad water

Sometimes they cry. When their brother died the villagers helped them to make a funeral shroud for him and people came together for the funeral and to bury him. The whole village attended.

I have no idea what to do. I will probably leave the village and find casual work so I can buy some food."

Shiraqa is 70 years old and a farm labourer. He doesn't have any land of his own. In addition to the orphans, Shiraqa must try to find food for his wife and their four daughters. He says:

"Now I cut bushes and take them to market to sell. From the money I make, I buy food for all of us. I make 50,000 to 100,000 afghanis, which is enough money to feed my family for about 2 days. But it takes as long as 10 days to collect enough bushes to sell them. My neighbours look after the children when I'm away. They give them a little food when they can."

FUNERAL SHROUD- a cloth used for covering a dead body