Vulnerable Afghans struggle to survive harsh winter

Sitting alongside a snowy street and holding up an umbrella to keep herself and two kids from heavy snowfall, the dejected lady said that the continued cold spell and snowfall had doubled her pains.

"I have no choice but to beg, I have three children and no proper food and shelter," the upset mother told Xinhua on Friday.

Nevertheless, the begging but shy woman refused to disclose her name, saying that "I need assistance and not talking to people."

Inquiring women's name in the conservative Afghanistan sometimes creates problem for the questioners as many Afghan women do not like to reveal their names to others other than their close relatives.

The impoverished lady is not alone that has been living on charity provided by passersby and relief agencies.

Begging, particularly by women, is a taboo in Afghanistan. However, the continued instability and extreme poverty have forced many to beg on streets.

Almost in every street of the war-battered yet under- construction capital city and other Afghan cities, the begging men, women and children often disturb the attention of onlookers.

Grabbing her two children on arm in the snowy day, another woman was also busy in seeking handout to survive.

"Please help me as much as you can. I am in urgent need of firewood, food and money," said the woman dressed in tatters.

To cope with the poverty and assist the needy Afghans in 2012, the government of Afghanistan and the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) appealed for 437 million U.S. dollars on Jan. 28.

"The appeal is a total of 437 million U.S. dollars," UN Humanitarian Coordinator Michael Keating told a joint press conference with Afghan Minister for Rural Rehabilitation and Development Jarullah Mansoori.

At the press briefing, the UN official said that 8.8 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2012 and over 187,000 people were displaced in 2011, mostly due to security incidents.

Unprecedentedly in couple of years, the current chilly winter, accompanied by heavy snowfalls, has been hitting most parts of the mountainous Afghanistan over the past month. The snow depth marked up to 60 centimeters in Kabul and adjoining provinces since Thursday.

More than 40 people have lost their lives in avalanche and snowfall some two weeks ago in the northeast Badakhshan province and scores others sustained injuries, according to officials.

"Please help me to buy a few nan and feed my children tonight," said a 39-year-old man who introduced himself as Karim outside a roadside hotel.

Nan is a flat bread and the most affordable food item that Afghan families often put on their dining tables during mealtime.