Type Afghanistan into Google
and see what you find... Bombings... An explosion ripped through a wedding
in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing dozens of people in... War... Crisis... These are normally the pictures that come
to mind when you hear the name Afghanistan. But are these tragic events
really that common? Yes. Tragedy strikes Afghanistan
on a daily basis. A country at war for
40 years. But is there another side to
Afghanistan that is rarely covered? Let's find out. The world's
deadliest conflict. The war should end
in Afghanistan. Hi, how are you? We will smile towards life
because life is worth smiling, Not a day without
violence... We were sure that's
resilience... We will not allow people to know
that we have weakened. Our families shed blood
for this country. ♪♪♪ Okay. So we've just come
to a local bazaar. And it's a very
action-part. We're gonna try and see how the locals
prepare their food. It's mainly fruit vegetables. And we're gonna try
to interview a few locals. ♪♪♪ -So, I'm here again with Airon today.
-Hi, guys! He's gonna be
translating again. So we've come to the trucks
where all the lemons get delivered. We're gonna interview
the man who's selling the product. Yeah. Can you ask him what time
he got here, this morning? //Speaking native language// -Five o'clock.
-Bussiness it's going well today? //Speaking native language// It's been very good because recently
it's been very peaceful and there's security, so when there's security the selling is
very good. People come and buy. //Speaking native language// So, if there's there is peace,
normally you see a lot of people coming in very easily, very comfortably,
they buy, but... When there is insecurity you don't see much
many people here, people are staying home. How many years has he been selling...?
Is that oranges or is it lemon? //Speaking native language// I've been ten years.
It depends on the good season, sometimes I sell cucumber,
sometimes cauliflower, sometimes I sell tomatoes, potatoes,
but today's the day for the oranges. ♪♪♪ Amirs is 21 years old. He sells whatever that it can lay
his hand on any given days, he just want to take
bread to his home. So, what I do is that after a lot
of argument and bargaining, -I get 1,000 pieces of this for 1,500 afghani.
-Right. But then I make a 500 afghani profit
after a one day, long day, I make 500 afghani profit
which I split, I leave some some of it for the next day
to buy more, and some of it to take home. And is that enough to keep him
living an okay life? //Speaking native language// I have 8 members family. I'm happy because I find work
and I'm not without work, so in any given day sometimes
I make less sometimes I make more, but on the average is 400 afghani,
500 afghani, that's almost $10 a day. So he's happy
with that. Does he enjoy living
in Mazar? //Speaking native language// Yeah! I'm happy here,
all around are my countrymen. I'm happy among them,
we enjoy, we live, so... -Yeah! -Okay! ♪♪♪ We just made up with one
of the drivers here, I'm just gonna ask him a few questions
about if there's enough work, and if he's finding
transport and things... //Speaking native language// Mohammed Yaseen is 55 years old,
he's been doing this for 10 years, he makes 200 afghani, $ 4 a day,
and in some days he doesn't even get work. It's difficult for him looking
get his clothes and everything, but he tries very hard
to make it up, but the next day by staying late
or coming early making more money, so that he can feed
his family. //Speaking native language// Bahir is 28 years old,
he's having this handcart, what he says is that
he has a debt of 8,000 afghani, which is about
$2,000 debt, and he's trying to pay it
from almost 2 years now, but he makes 150 afghani,
$3 a day. How did he get
the debt? //Speaking native language// My father... He's dead now, but he was
the one who took money from a person. Now he's dead, but the person comes
to me every day and says that... "Pay up, is your father's debt",
and so I'm paying that debt now. So, the owner of this market,
he throws a party like once a month for everyone to be fed, so we are going
there to see the big pot and everything. As you see, the locals are very friendly
and wanting to chat and things. You know, working super hard
for a little return but... The food
and things aren't... Aligning with the...
Hello! Food and things aren't
aligning with the salaries. -So, we've been invited to this party, right?
-Yeah! We've been invited to this party. They're making
Palaw. Palaw is a famous dish with rice,
carrots, and almonds, and raisins. So the entire market
is invited to this. ♪♪♪ So this is the head chef,
behind us. //Speaking native language// Hamza is
60 years old. And he's been cooking Palaw
since he was 20 years old. So, for 40 he's been cooking this,
this is his specialty. //Speaking native language// -Do you want this for tomorrow, or not?
-I said... Who are these gentlemen? -He's the head of this market.
-Okay! -So he's putting on this whole meal.
-Yeah, yeah! And so why did he decide to
feed everybody for free? Normally we do this
because it shows our unity, it brings our people together
and we spent some time together, because here in this market
we have people from all over, the province is close
to Balkh. All the poor people come here
and they want some... They want bread for their families
that's why it's very importantly. ♪♪♪ So, just come down the road to
a facility, called Norikoda facility, that's where malnourished kids
gets treated and things. We're gonna show you
a bit about the process. I'm gonna put it in a digestible form,
you pardon the pun, and trying relate to you
the situation here. It should be interesting. Because you saw the market you saw
how people live over there on very little money, and then we're going to come here
to the absolute extreme. So we've come inside the facility
and this is Maureen from UNICEF. What's your role in to? I'm the chief of nutrition for
UNICEF in Afghanistan. So I oversee all of the nutrition
program in the country. So we are in Nurkada,
it's a health facility in Mazar, which is a northern part
of Afghanistan, and it provides different services
for the people of this area, and amongst those they provide
nutritional treatment to children who are affected by
severe acute malnutrition. So, this kids here, what's exactly do here?
Why are they coming here? So, mothers will bring their children
because they're severely malnourished, which means they've really
reached a point where their bodies are very,
very thin for their height, and so they need to receive treatment
in order to recover and reestablish themselves to be able to play again,
and to thrive as a child. So, we've just come into
the clinic and we've meet a mother. Would you mind introducing
them to us, Airon? //Speaking native language// My name is Gulzar,
I'm 20 years old. My child has been sick
for some time, so I visited
this clinic before. //Speaking native language// Shekaib is
one year old. Shekaib was three months old
when he started having severe diarrhea and pneumonia at
the same time, which resulted in him
losing a lot of weight. He stopped taking breast milk,
that made it very difficult for me, I went to my aunt's and my sisters,
and other neighbors to see if he would take
breastfeeding from them, but the child refused,
he wouldn't take it. that resulted in him
losing a lot of weight, so I had no option but
seeking any means, because I have one child
and he's very precious to me. //Speaking native language// When he was six months old
he stopped eating again, in that time he became
very severe again. I was told that there's no way that
we can treat him in Mazar, he has to be taken
to Kabul. We are very poor, we cannot
afford take him to Kabul. So I said that this precious one,
either dies here or would survive here. //Speaking native language// It was almost like after, I was even
recovering from my C-Section, but even then he required blood,
and we couldn't afford to buy blood, I was very frail and weak myself, but I said
that I'll give my son my own blood. It was severe winter when
we were told to shift him to Kabul, so what I decided was that
I will buy a powdered milk, and so I feeding him
with powder milk, and you cannot imagine how difficult
it is to get up in that cold winter, in a freezing grueling,
boiled water for the child, and then prepared that powder milk,
and then given to him. And then, on top of it,
hear from neighbors and my family that I'm doing this on purpose,
I'm not feeding the child with my own milk. and I cried most of the nights,
I had to go to a difficulty C-Section, I had to go through so much,
I give this child my own blood, then I wake up in the middle
of the night in this cold and prepared, and look at what I'm hearing,
but I don't care, this is my child. And now I'm happy
because he's gaining weight, and this is
the world for me. It's been very difficult to finding
even 50 cents to come, to take a two hours drive
to come to this clinic, so two weeks I waited, and then this morning
I told my husband that I'm going to go. Fortunately, a lady from the neighbours,
she give me 50 cents, so I can come here, now I don't have
enough money to go back home, but I'm here, I want to see
my child recover. We have come this morning,
I have not eaten anything, but that's doesn't matter,
I want to see my child, I wanted to be loved
as I love him. She must be happy now that her
baby is going to live a healthy life, right? Yes I'm happy, my husband
is very happy but, again, when I go home and I tell
them now he's 7kg... They laugh at me! So I cannot even tell my family,
my relatives about the good news, so I just whispered
to myself, I gotta tell myself that now
he's gaining weight, now he's put on... His recovering, so we are both happy.
Me and my husband are very happy about that. ♪♪♪ Okay. So we've come and meet
a grandmother and child, is that right? And this child is malnourished,
is that correct? //Speaking native language// So, Han is seven months old,
but is severely underweight, and they have been coming
to this clinic for over a month. Have they noticed
the difference since started? //Speaking native language// When I give birth to the child,
the child was 1/2 kg, but now with the therapeutic food
things have really improve d, and now she's gaining
weight. The treatment here is free,
is that right? //Speaking native language// It's all free, the treatment, the therapeutic
food they give us, everything is free. And that's covered
by UNICEF? -Yes!
-Yes! So, it's basically vital that
this place is free, otherwise the children wouldn't
survive, is that correct? Yeah! It's very essential for poor families
who cannot buy fruits, meat, vegetables. This is the only option
left for them. They need this happen, without it,
if you go to other provinces you will see
the same situations. It's the therapeutic food and
the assistance from UNICEF and its partners that make this possible
for the children to survive. So, it's fair to say that Han life
has been saved by this clinic? //Speaking native language// Yes! I have
no doubt of that, the doctors and this clinic have
helped my child survive. //Speaking native language// So I would appeal to the Friends of Afghanistan,
to the countries were friends of Afghanistan, to don't cease, don't stop
your donation, don't stop your help, because mothers like me are waiting
and are counting on this help, and without that it would be
difficult to survive. So, you can see those two scenarios, they have
just come out in front of the facility here, so you saw
the child with the... The malnourished child who
was on his way to be treated, and if you saw the first videos
of Afghanistan, in Kabul, you would have seen the state that
they're when they're extremely malnourished, and the skin and bone,
with loose skin. Those two kids are on the road
to recovery, which is great. And it's through this product here,
which is called a RUTF, I'll put in a brief term for you.
(Ready to Use Therapeutic Food) This is basically like a food
and medicine combined. It's peanut butter mixed with some
micronutrients and some other medicines so their gut can actually
process the food, because when they get
to that point of malnourished... Their stomach lining
doesn't absorb it as well so what this does is it supplies
the calories but also supplies the medicines to be able to absorb
the nutrients. So any donation will save lives,
it's not a question. It's a 100% guarantee,
you will save lives by donating. So I'm going to leave
a link down below, only donate if you can,
but it's very much appreciated and it really helps
the people out here. ♪♪♪ Okay. So, we've come from the clinic,
we've come to a woman's bazaar. And it's basically just all women
running this whole bazaar. So it's quite interesting. We're gonna meet
some of the local women now. Would you mind just asking him
them what they're making? //Speaking native language// They're making afghan dumplings
with vegetables called Ashak, and also the famous
afghan bread, Bolani. //Speaking native language// So, what she's saying is that
this is a private enterprise, by a girl called Habiba, what she did
was she saw that to many woman have some skills in cooking
and other things, and they don't have any place
to have their own earning, so she decided to make
this place with her own budget or their own expenses,
without a host, so for them to come here,
prepare food, sell them, prepare handicraft, sell them,
and run their houses. ♪♪♪ -So we've seen the food and now this is like...
-The handicraft. -Materials, fabrics, and things...
-Yeah! The handicraft. How long has she had
this shop for? //Speaking native language// -11 years, she's running this shop.
-Her business... //Speaking native language// I wish that there would be more assistance
from the government in the private sector, and helping us
expand, because 11 years ago
I just started my business for $10, and now I filled it in 11 years...
So, I'm happy, but with more support
it would be better. So what's it like being a woman
in Afghanistan? Is it easy to live in this society? Can you have freedom to starting
your own business, and things like that? or is this an obstacles
to overcome? //Speaking native language// 10-15 years ago it was very difficult
being a woman in Afghanistan, but now more women are
finding it easier to work, to defining it more easier,
to join the commerce, and join industries,
and join education, sports... So it's much better compared to
a decade ago, which is good, but more must
be done, I'm a 70 years old so it's fine
for me to come here, but more young girls need to
make these shops, and learn these skills
and become businesswomen, so that's a
very good thing. Can you ask her... Has she sees
the future of Afghanistan? In what direction?
A positive or a negative direction? //Speaking native language// So, I've seen so many deaths over
the years, I've seen just recently... 9 people killed in my village, all working for
the government, they were just massacred and then the government came and
they dug the grave just side each other and they buried them,
so many of youngsters have died, so many of our
sons have died. And I've seen misery all my life
so I hope that this will stop, I hope that no other mother
would have to cry anymore. ♪♪♪ So you can see many different stories
of these people's lives, some people who have lived
in other countries and you see the older lady who's seen
some horrific things in her life, but overall the energy here is just
really peaceful and calm, and it's really nice
to see... Some of the ladies were saying
to us that they hope that we... That people see this video and
then they come support their business because the only problem here is
there's not many customers. I mean, we're here and there's not really
anybody else's apart from some kids playing here, and so they need
the customers basically, so... If you're in Mazar-e Sarif
definitely check out the woman's bazaar. Very lucky to be able to see these
different places and all the... Such a varied country so far,
so much to see. Could have spent hours filming
in any location we've been to so far. Nice to see a spread of all the different
kind of situations, and scenes, and people, different class levels,
people in desperate situations, people in reasonably okay
comfortable situations, but overall... You know,
leering over everybody's head is the... You know, the Taliban,
and the constant security threats, and horrible incidents, there was
more car bombs today in Kabul, they have many
incidents a day. People dying on a daily basis
pretty much, so... It's heavy! But at least with the women's
rights and things, things are developing. But, hopefully, things get better
with the security. ♪♪♪ All right! So I hope you
enjoyed that day. I sure found it eye opening and
equally as fascinating as pretty much every day in
this country's been so far. Just for end the video I just want
to drive home the point of these little sachets here, again,
basically a food and medicine mixed. It would be great if you guys can,
if you're in the position to, if you're not, I completely understand
and i'm not expecting you to put yourself out of
pocket or anything. But if you do have
an extra... Any few dollars lying around
anything will help, remember $ 10 will
buy 30 of these. I kind of look at it as a meal,
I know that's not scientifically what it is, but this is
essentially a meal. And it will bring the child from death's door
to being a healthy baby again, like you've seen. These do change lives,
if you do choose to donate, there's no question a poor
child out there will benefit. $10 for 30 meals
essentially. I want to say again, UNICEF isn't
paying me to say any of this, they saw my videos, they asked me
if I wanted to work with them, and it was an honor,
because to work in a situation like this, and in dire circumstances
where you've seen the children that they're in serious
need of help... It was a real honor to be a part
of something like that. So didn't even have to think
about saying yes. If you don't want to donate
or you don't have the money, you can always share
this campaign, this video, the link underneath
the video on social media, and together... It's no joke, we can seriously
save lives, so... We've seen the power of social media
when it's used for good, and it can be really quite beautiful
when we all come together, we can really make big
changes in this world. ♪♪♪ Any donations pretty much guaranteed
to contribute to save lives... -Yes!
-Yeah! ♪♪♪
