An Afghan Orphanage Struggles to Provide Food

A large orphanage¹ in Kabul is limiting meals for the children it cares for because it is running out of money.

Ahmad Khalil Mayan is head of Shamsa Children's Village. It is in the northern part of Afghanistan's capital.

Afghanistan has lost millions of dollars in aid since the Taliban took control of the country. Mayan told Reuters that he has been contacting many of his past donors² for help.

"Most of them have left the country - Afghan donors, foreign donors, embassies³. When I call them or email them, no one is answering me," he said.

"We are now trying to run the place with very little money and with little food," he added.

There are about 130 children at the orphanage. The youngest are three years of age. It has been open for more than 10 years. It provides shelter for children whose parents have died or do not have the money to look after them.

One of the children is nine-year-old Samira. She has been at the orphanage for almost two years since her father died and her mother did not have the money to support her or her brothers. She is already taking extra classes and wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

"I want to serve my homeland and save others from disease⁴, and I also want other girls to study so that they become a doctor like me in the future," she said.

There are many orphanages⁵ in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in wars over the past 40 years.

The lack of money, since the Taliban retook control of the country, is forcing Mayan to make difficult choices. The orphanage tried to send a few children back to relatives who had the money to take care of them. But all the children have returned.

Mayan said he has had to reduce the amount of food and the kinds of food the children eat.

"Before we were providing them twice a week fruit and twice a week meat, but we cut those items to just once a week or maybe not even (that much)."

Facing an economic crisis⁶, Taliban officials have urged Western governments to continue sending aid. It has also asked the United States to lift a block on more than $9 billion of Afghan central bank money held in foreign countries. Many countries, including the U.S., do not recognize the Taliban government.

Some governments are demanding that the group guarantee basic freedoms, including permitting girls to attend school and women to work. The Taliban banned all girls' education when they ruled from 1996 to 2001. But they have said they are now considering the issue.

A weekly limit of $200 on bank withdrawals⁷ has also hurt the orphanage. That amount is not enough for the needs of the children and workers.

Mayan fears that if the situation continues, the orphanage would not be able to stay open much longer. That would be disastrous⁸ for the children, who receive mathematics, English and computer lessons there, as well as food and shelter.

Samira, the child who hopes to become a doctor, recognizes that to reach her goals, she may have to leave the country to study.

"I am not allowed to study here," she said.

Words in This Story

orphanage — n. a place where children, whose parents have died or who cannot care for them, can live and be cared for; a home for orphans⁹

twice –adj. two times

allow — v. to permit; to let something happen

1 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 embassies   

n.大使馆( embassy的名词复数 )；大使馆全体成员

参考例句：

• The representatives of other countries have their embassies there. 许多国家都在此设有大使馆。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）
• Demonstrators protested outside the country's embassies all over Europe. 该国驻欧洲各国的大使馆外都有群众进行示威抗议。 来自辞典例句

4 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

5 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

6 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

7 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

8 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

9 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。