I love to eat eggs
According to the findings of the 2011/2012 National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment in Afghanistan, 7.6 million people, roughly one-third of the country’s population, are food-insecure, and another 14 per cent are considered to be borderline food-insecure.The majority of those who fall victim to this situation are women and children.
To address these and other challenges, World Vision operates in three areas of Afghanistan, addressing the health, nutritional, educational needs of the most vulnerable and food-insecure populations.
The smell of homemade bread filled the air and sound of children’s laughter mixed with noise of roosters and hens. Their laughter is interrupted by an argument.
“It is my turn. You ate yours in the morning,” said one of children.
“Yes, but it was small. I want another,” admits one of girl children.
“Every morning and evening they argue with each other because of the eggs,” says KhaharGul, 35, a mother of four children, as she rocks the cradle with her youngest child, a 1-year-old baby inside.
“They really like eating eggs. I cook egg for my children, sometimes two times in a day one in the morning for breakfast and again in the afternoon,” adds KhaharGul with a passion in her voice.
The ragged carpet on the floor, thatched walls and worn pillows used as backrests are proof their poverty. Her husband, a 50-year-old man, works as a porter in customs. When he is lucky, he is able to earn $2 (USD) a day. Many days he isn’t able to earn anything. And, this is not only KhaharGul’s story, but that of many neighbours as well.
Poultry is a traditional means to support food security in Afghanistan and a significant source of dietary protein. Chicken is regarded as one of the cheapest forms of meat and easy to raise. Many households own some form of poultry, but with limited nutritional benefit due to poor outputs of local breeds and lack of veterinary care for the animals.
To help improve the food security of mothers and children, World Vision in Afghanistan through Maternal and Under five Nutrition, Child Health (MUNCH) Project funded by Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development ( DFATD) in Canada, is working to improve the availability and accessibility of nutritious food sources at household levels to support a nutrient rich diet by promoting home production of micronutrient rich food sources, such as leafy vegetables and legumes, to boost household food diversity.
To achieve this goal, this project selected 2,300 women from Ghor, Badghis and Herat provinces. Each woman received seven quality hens and one rooster, all of which were vaccinated, along with a kit that included: 20 kg of concentrated fodder, a water trough, and an iron net.
“Domestic chickens only lay about 50 eggs a year, the chickens that World Vision distributed lay over 300 eggs each year,” said Tawab Taeb, World Vision’s livelihood officer in Afghanistan.
In addition to the foul, families also received education on the nutritional benefits of poultry products and how to consume them.
“I received seven hens and one rooster from World Vision staff"
“I received seven hens and one rooster from World Vision staff and they [the hens] give me more than ten eggs in a week,” says KhaharGul. “Before, for breakfast we had just bread and sweet tea.Now, we are like a rich family and can eat eggs.
My children love to eat boiled egg, every day they collect the eggs together and come to me to cook them. I can prepare different foods that use eggs, such as Eshkana, Koko and Omelette. In the past I usually cook rice with potato inside of it, since my hens have been giving me eggs, instead of just using potato, I also put egg inside the rice. My children like to eat the egg in this form,” she adds, with a smile.
