Home-Based-Livelihoods support strengthens food security for women-headed households: a widow’s story

Shirzad District, Nangarhar Province — Afghanistan

In fragile contexts where traditional development approaches often fall short, CRLP’s culturally-sensitive and community-driven support for very poor women-headed households is demonstrating strong potential for a scalable, sustainable model.

The daily toll of unyielding poverty

Semina is a 40-year-old widow, mother of six from Perano Kali Aw Darak Korona village in Nangahar province. Life has been a struggle for survival since her husband passed away from illness four years ago. Living in a crumbling mud house with two rooms and no proper sanitation, Semina has had to adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms in order for her family to survive. 

“There were days when we had nothing but bread and tea,” Semina says quietly. “I worked in the fields, but it was never enough. In winter, my children shivered in thin clothes. I often went to bed hungry so that they could eat.”

Her youngest son, just eight years old, had started collecting and selling scrap metal to help the family make ends meet. For Yasmin, this was the hardest part.

 “I felt like I was failing my children. I was tired—physically and emotionally.”

A Lifeline for Women Like Semina

Having witnessed stories similar to Semina's across all the  provinces, the Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (CRLP) integrated women’s economic activities to improve household food security, nutrition and income among very poor women-headed households. These activities—ranging from poultry farming to kitchen gardening and jam or pickle making—are designed to be home-based and socially acceptable within the current constraints on women’s mobility, access to markets, and public engagement.

Semina was selected as a beneficiary. Along with other vulnerable women in her community, she received hands-on training in poultry management, followed by a start-up package that included 16 hens, 2 cocks, feed, and basic materials to build a coop.

Within a few weeks, Semina’s hens began laying up to 10- 12 eggs per day, enough to feed her children and sell the surplus in her village. She now earns an average of 70–100 AFN (2USD) per day from egg sales, which she uses to buy vegetables.

“For the first time in months, I could cook proper meals for my children,” she shares, emotion welling in her voice. “My children eat better now. They smile more. And I’m learning how to save money and grow this little poultry project.” 

Securing the future

The poultry activity revived fond memories of her past— Semina helped raise hens as a child. The familiarity has given her the confidence to succeed. As a mother of four daughters and two sons, she is determined to transfer the entrepreneurial skills she has gained to her children. Her youngest son is now back in school.

“I want to teach my daughters how to manage the poultry so that they won’t depend on anyone,” she says with determination. “I want to build something that lasts.”

A Model of Inclusive Resilience

To date, over 9,500 vulnerable women across 20 provinces have received poultry packages and training. Beyond initial support, these women benefit from community poultry advisors who provide peer-to-peer extension services. This significantly reduces the failure rate of these small-scale poultry projects, restoring the dignity of women who no longer have to depend on their neighbors for assistance. CRLP is not only restoring livelihoods—it is transforming mindsets, shifting community attitudes, and planting the seeds of resilience.

*Name changed to protect the subject's privacy

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