In August 2025, a powerful earthquake struck Kunar Province, leaving the village of Salambat among the hardest hit.
This small, remote community had long faced challenges such as poor roads, limited access to clean water, and few educational opportunities. The disaster, however, pushed families into an entirely new level of hardship.
Before the earthquake, most families relied on small plots of land and a few livestock to sustain themselves. For Mir Ahmad Khan, a father of five, agriculture and livestock rearing had supported his family for generations. “We lived simply, but we managed,” he said. “Our land and animals were enough to meet our needs.”
With the roads they used to reach distant markets blocked by rockfall during the earthquake, even basic necessities became difficult to access. Mir Ahmad Khan explained that many families were forced into difficult choices – buying goods on credit at high prices, selling their remaining livestock at a loss, and parting with valuable assets just to afford food.
Mir Ahmad Khan
