Effects of The Afghanistan War

The war in Afghanistan has caused significant destruction in the civilian community who are choicelessly caught in the crossfighting between the coalition forces and the Taliban militants. In the first 6 months of year 2009, about 1000 civilians have been killed. Many families in Afghanistan are suffering emotionally and economically due to the death of family members and destruction of businesses. One of the most significant impacts of this war, has been the loss of single-earning male members in many families. As a result of this development, elders of many families have stepped in to repair and preserve the social, economic and emotional health of the community. Elders have done this by primarily re-establishing or starting new enterprises that immediately take care of day-to-day survival needs of the family. "I'm rebuilding the shop so the children will have work and they can feed the rest of the family," Ahmed says, surrounded by spades and wheelbarrows. Many a times, families have to sacrifice something to survive these difficult periods. Children's education is the first major casualty/sacrifice in such scenarios. This article also provides a few insights on the coping mechanisms in the community. While the elders have stepped in by rebuilding the community, the women and children are not far behind. Children are wholeheartedly supporting the elders in their business enterprises while the women are doing their bit by baking bread for the neighbours and sustaining their families. In this way the entire community is making sure that young people do not have to sacrifice on their education because of the ongoing war.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8302963.stm