Health

A collection of 26 posts

Alive in Sudan

Dialysis Clinic Like a Family

Alive in Sudan speaks with a nurse, who is also a patient, about the challenges facing dialysis clinics during the current war.

Education

Education Leaves Disabled Behind

Afghans face many barriers to accessing education, from lack of schools to poverty or family and social biases. However, disability is one of the worst as it can prevent Afghan youth from overcoming even the most simple barriers.

OneDayinAfghanistan

Her Greatest Dream, to Walk

Anisa is a 26 year-old Afghan woman paralyzed from the waist down due to her family’s disbelief in vaccines. She uses her hands to walk around the house.

OneDayinAfghanistan

Decades of Illiteracy; The Generations That Have Been Forgotten

Generations have gone without the opportunity to seek education in Abi, an area in Chora district of Afghanistan’s Orguzgan province. In addition to that, no health centers exist in the area, exasperating the issues people in this area face on a daily basis.

OneDayinAfghanistan

A Blind Mother's Single Wish

Written by Zarghuna Akbari SHEBERGHAN, JAWZJAN — “Life without eyesight is very challenging; not being able to see your children even once, not being able to recognize their faces, and always depending on others. Without eyesight, the world is a dark place for a human being," 40 year-old Zahra, a

Health

An Education, If You Can Afford It

Special needs children are the most vulnerable and neglected group in Afghanistan. Essential facilities, particularly access to education, are severely lacking, adding to their struggle.

Health

Mental Illness, A Silent Enemy

Mental illness has plagued Afghanistan for decades due to war and despite a relative peace returning to the country, unemployment, poverty, and uncertainty about the future continues to exacerbate the effect of mental illness on Afghans.

Health

No Toilet? Build Your Own

Burundi has nearly 3,000 hills that hold more than 30,000 water sources. Yet 30% of the population still lack drinking water and latrines.

Health

The Blind See More Than We Realize

In Afghanistan, although roughly five percent of the population are visually impaired, ignorance and intolerance by their peers often lead to discrimination and limited opportunities. However, some like Abdul Jalil Shirzad, have found their place in society.

OneDayinAfghanistan

The 102 Year Old Afghan Leathersmith

One of the oldest man in western Afghanistan’s Herat province keeps one of the most ancient professions alive.

Narcotics

Afghan Drug Crisis, in the Words of Users

Rampant poverty and the increasing unemployment rate, due to Afghanistan’s continuing economic crisis are playing a major role in the increase in the number of people with a substance use disorder. In Badakhshan alone, users have increased from 40,000 to 50,000 in the last year and a half.

Weather

Between Life and Death in Winter's Cold

Afghans across the country endured an unprecedented cold snap in January that left dozens of people and thousands of livestock dead.

OneDayinAfghanistan

A Midwife with 40 Grandchildren

In Badakhshan, where experience still rules over formal education, Alim Nesa has served her community as a home-based #midwife for the last 30 years.

Investigative

Afghanistan’s Problem With Dogs

Reporting by Razia Jafari and Abdul Karim Azim, written by Abdul Ahad Poya, edited by Mohammad J. Alizada & Brian J. Conley Alive-in is a not-for-profit media agency that mentors journalists from underrepresented communities to increase local and international understanding. Click the button below to receive our stories directly in

Health

Affordability and Quality of Medication Questioned by Afghans

Afghans in the capital Kabul lament the recent increases in prices and low quality of medication while the authorities & pharmacists point to several factors.

Human Rights

Their Last Resort Was to Stop Breathing

One of the less talked about problems among Afghan youth is committing suicide. Relatives think several factors played into their loved ones ending their lives.

Children

Prevalence of Blood Cancer Increasing in Kandahari Children

Health officials in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province say a number of children diagnosed with thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder, may have been affected by the use of airstrikes during the drawn out US led intervention in Afghanistan

Investigative

Garbage, Garbage, Everywhere

The lack of a garbage collection system due to inattention from the municipality, as well as the public’s lack of awareness have all joined forces in increasing Nili’s problem with trash.

Health

Will Vaccines Work, Is the Virus Real; Afghans Wonder

Misinformation, lack of awareness, and confusion surrounding the coronavirus is still spreading around Afghanistan. Additionally lack of understanding about the effectiveness and use of coronavirus vaccines plagues the effort to curb the pandemic.

Investigative

Struggling with Poverty and Trauma, Millions of Afghans Turn to Drugs

Around 6 million Afghans are estimated to be addicted to drugs. Afghanistan is also the largest producer of opium in the world. Alive in Afghanistan talks to those most affected by drug use, the individuals and their families.

Climate

Heavy Rainfall in Kandahar Brings Hope to Farmers and Nuisance to City Residents

Written by Nazar Mohammad Razmal Zaman, edited by Mohammad J. Alizada and Brian J. Conley KANDAHAR — Recent rainfall in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province hit by persistent drought over the past several years have somewhat removed fears of continuous drought in the province. But the province is far from eradicating

Investigative

When Needing to Go Can Cost A Hospital Trip

Reporting by Abdul Karim Azim, Nazar Mohammad Razmal Zaman, written by Abdul Ahad Poya, edited by Mohammad J. Alizada and Brian J. Conley AFGHANISTAN — Afghanistan is traditionally a religiously conservative country that fell to the Taliban, a militant group fighting the previous Afghan government and its allies since the American

Investigative

Sanitation, Kabul’s Mountain of a Problem

Written by Abdul Ahad Poya, edited by Mohammad J. Alizada and Brian J. Conley “When it rains we take the water, and wash the fecal matter down the slope, which creates a huge annoyance for people, but if we had proper sewage system, this wouldn’t happen,” this is a

Health

Infant Malnutrition Overwhelms Afghan Hospitals

Written by Nazar Mohammad “Razmal Zaman,” edited by Mohammad J. Alizada and Brian J. Conley KANDAHAR — Health workers in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province are combating increasing malnutrition among children while millions of Afghans lack the ability to feed their families on a daily basis. The beds at Kandahar city’

Iraq

Hospital Guards, More than Protectors

Produced by Nabeel Kamal BAGHDAD, IRAQ– The Facility Protection Service has been the center of much controversy in recent years. We have profiled the bizarre security agency previously on Alive in Baghdad, interviewing a Sunni FPS guard who works in Adhamiya. Although at least some of the accusations against various