Afghanistan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Due to the dire economic situation, many families send their children out to work on the streets.


Solutions proposed by Terre des hommes

Mother and child health – In the poorest parts of Kabul and Kandahar, midwives who have been trained by Terre des hommes (Tdh) carry out home visits to see women with high-risk pregnancies.

Support for working children – Various centres are open to children working on the streets of Kabul, Torkham, Kandahar and Peshawar (Pakistan). There they can learn to read and write or just come to play and relax.

Justice for minors – The Afghan justice system does not distinguish between a serious criminal act and one committed by a minor. Tdh and its partners advocate the use of measures other than imprisonment, which are stipulated in the criminal law for minors.

Assistance for rural regions – Rustaq is one of the most remote regions in the north of the country. Since 2007, Tdh has been assisting the local population in three fields: economic development, training for the young and the monitoring of pregnant women.


Results achieved in 2008

Maternal and child health – In the parts of Kabul visited by Tdh, the maternal mortality rate is estimated to be 10 times lower than anywhere else in the city. Due to the support offered by Tdh, midwifes have been helping 2000 newborns and have raised awareness of the importance of hygiene, nutrition and medical monitoring among 200.000 women.

Support for working children – Tdh intervenes as part of a consortium in order to help street children. 20,000 children have been given lessons as part of an informal education project; they have benefited from social and legal help as well as psychological and health advice.

Assistance for rural regions – In the region of Rustaq, 21,500 people have benefitted from the development project. Families have received pistachio bushes and beehives which provide an additional source of income. Drinking water supplies and irrigation have just been introduced in two regions that are difficult to access.


Facing the challenges

Security – The war that rages in Afghanistan complicates the work of Tdh considerably. Two of the projects of Tdh (Kandahar and Torkham) are in dangerous regions where mines and ambushes make the routes dangerous to pass. The only way of visiting these projects is therefore by air.
Lack of freedom and training – In a patriarchal society where women are not allowed to leave the house even to go to hospital, every pregnancy presents a risk. In rural regions, the next hospital is often hundreds of miles away and most medical staff are insufficiently trained.
Rural exodus – As refugees in the big cities, thousands of children need to work on the streets in order to contribute to the survival of their displaced family instead of going to school.


"The Voice of Children" a magazine made by and for children

As a street child in Kabul, Torfan is one of the 20,000 Afghan children who benefit each year from programmes set up by Terre des hommes and its partners.
"My name is Torfan and I am eleven years old. I live with my mother, my two brothers and my two sisters in Kabul, the capital of my country. My father died when I was still young. In order to help my mother, I started to wash cars when I was seven. One day, when I was working, I met a man who told me of Tdh. He took me to the Ashiana centre where children who do not go to state school can learn things. At the centre I can go to classes, eat lunch and return to work in the afternoon. My teachers and the educators soon noticed that I liked learning and they encouraged me to continue. They allowed me to attend courses to learn about computers, photography and art. Now I can use a computer and know how to draw. The last project that I did with my friends from Ashiana was a magazine for children, which is called ‘The Voice of Children’. Later, I would like to become a journalist."