“I begged him to quit using drugs.”
Waheeda, a 42-year-old Afghan woman in Kandahar, says that her husband began using drugs when he moved to Iran to find work, a habit he continued upon his return to Afghanistan.
Waheeda, her husband, and their four children share a one-room home. “My husband smoked inside the house,” Waheeda says, adding that she began to have pains and trouble sleeping.
“Once, he gave me a small amount of opium, saying it would make me feel better. Then I started to eat opium every day and later started smoking heroin.”
Waheeda used drugs for six years, admitting that she smoked heroin while pregnant. “When my daughter was born, she was crying all the time and not eating well. I noticed that when her father was using drugs in the same room, she felt better, and then I realized that my daughter was also addicted to drugs. I was very sad. We were in a very difficult situation at that time, facing economic problems.”
After a visit from the local Youth Health & Development Organization (YHDO), a non-governmental organization supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Waheeda registered herself at the center and began visiting three times a week. She says that the medicine, basic food, hygiene products, and social support she receives there have been a lifeline.
“The center has brought positive changes in my life; we are feeling better now. With the support of the team, I am now considering engaging in the treatment process. I am also able to help others by referring other women who use drugs to this center, so that they can benefit from the same support.”
Now more families like Waheeda’s will receive support thanks to the new “Strengthening Counternarcotics Capacities” project in Afghanistan, launched by UNODC with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project aims to reach 53,688 people at risk of or with drug use disorders by teaching family coping skills and raising awareness about the dangers of drug use. The project will support the recovery and reintegration of people with drug use disorders, offering evidence-based treatment and services to help them and their families lead healthier, more stable lives.
Equally important as addressing the demand for illicit drugs is focusing on the supply of these drugs, which is why the project will also work to provide alternative livelihood options for opium farmers or those with limited employment opportunities.
For the past two decades, Afghanistan had been the world's highest opium producer, but a strict narcotics ban announced in April 2022 and enforced by the de facto authorities led to a 95 per cent reduction in opium poppy cultivation, according to UNODC’s Afghan Opium Survey.
The sharp reduction has had immediate humanitarian consequences for many vulnerable rural communities who relied on income from cultivating opium poppy. Farmers’ income from selling the 2023 opium harvest to traders fell by more than 92 per cent from an estimated US$1,360 million for the 2022 harvest to US$110 million in 2023.
Providing Afghan farmers with opportunities away from opium has thus become more crucial than ever. Under this project, UNODC’s Alternative Development programme will seek to support 8,100 households (56,700 persons) and 46 farmer groups, associations, and businesses.
Mohammad Iqbal, a participant in a previous Alternative Development programme, is a testament to the power of these initiatives to transform lives. He had turned to opium poppy cultivation after decades of war and droughts made it difficult to access sufficient irrigation water for his orchard farm.
In partnership with the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR), UNODC supported Mohammad and 500 others with solar powered water pumping systems, drip irrigation materials, training, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) kits in order to cope with the negative effects of climate change.
Equipped with a new drip irrigation system for two hectares of his lemon orchard, Mohammad’s formerly useless land began supplying fruit. In 2022, Mohammad harvested 115.5 tons of lemon, worth approximately AFN 3,300,000 (US$ 37,930).
“This was barren land four years ago,” Mohammad says during a visit to his orchard. “Now, it is covered with colorful citrus trees – trees that not only bring fruit to our village, but beauty, too.”
The “Strengthening Counternarcotics Capacities” project’s ultimate aim will be to boost the local economy and create jobs, which can help break the cycle of poverty. This will be achieved by building the skills of farmers so that they can increase crop yields and profits.
"The implementation of this project will be a significant step towards a sustainable solution to Afghanistan's drug problem," said COAFG representative. "By addressing both the supply and demand aspects, we aim to create a comprehensive framework that not only reduces illicit drug production but also mitigates the adverse social and health impacts of drug use in local communities."
The project will also promote gender equality by encouraging women's active participation and skill development, empowering them to contribute more to their household income. As a result, communities will become more resilient, with better living standards and mental well-being.
Visit www.unodc.org for updates on the project. Click here to learn more about UNODC’s work in Afghanistan.
