From hardship to hope- providing a vital lifeline for vulnerable communities: Mohammad Jan’s story

"If I don't work, who will feed my family? I have no one to turn to. But this project, it has given me hope—hope to survive, hope for tomorrow." – Mohammad Jan

At 55 years old, Mohammad Jan, a man of few words but great determination, shoulders a heavy burden. In the small, dusty Char Bagh village in Gizab, Urozgan, he and his wife live in a humble, aging home. "It’s old and small," Mohammad Jan says quietly, looking around at the walls that have seen more years than he can count. He is the sole provider for his family, and though his body is worn from age and hard work, he does not have a choice—he must work to survive. 

Mohammad Jan’s story is not unique in Char Bagh. Many in the village face similar struggles, living in poverty with limited access to opportunities. Like countless others in rural Afghanistan, families in Char Bagh contend with lack of job opportunities, unreliable income sources, and a lack of basic services. Young people grow up with few chances to acquire vocational skills or formal education, making it difficult to break the cycle of poverty. Infrastructure is limited, and access to markets, financial resources, and job networks is scarce—especially for women and returnees. These challenges reflect a wider reality across the country, where decades of conflict, economic instability, and underinvestment have left communities like Char Bagh with little support and few paths toward sustainable livelihoods. For Mohammad Jan, the day-to-day struggle of securing enough food for his family is overwhelming. "I have many financial problems. I don’t know how to buy food or take care of my wife when I am not working," he says, his eyes lowering as he reflects on the difficulty of his life.

The Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (CRLP) targets vulnerable communities like Char Bagh to provide immediate livelihood opportunities that put money directly into the pockets of beneficiaries, enabling them to address their needs. At the same time, the community will be rehabilitating their local assets strengthening their resilience to future shocks. For someone like Mohammad Jan, who had long felt excluded from the workforce, it was a turning point. “I’m happy that they came to help us. I didn’t think I would ever be able to work again, but this project is changing that for us,” he says, with a glimmer of relief in his voice.

Through 8,153 similar interventions across 6,460 communities, 44,000 households have received emergency livelihoods support. As the humanitarian funding landscape evolves, making the future precarious for Afghanistan, projects like CRLP provide a vital lifeline. “We’re no longer in complete despair," Mohammad Jan shares. His wife, too, expresses heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity. “The staff, the officers, they are heroes,” she says with a tender smile.

Photo of Muhammad Jan