Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
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poor. On the contrary, low levels of liv<strong>in</strong>g standards are shared on an equal basis by all. An exception is thecase of women, especially isolated, who suffer from even greater discrim<strong>in</strong>ation and appear to be among thepoorest. This has been highlighted both <strong>in</strong> towns and rural areas.Steps Ahead:Rural-Urban: Reduc<strong>in</strong>g the Gap <strong>in</strong> Liv<strong>in</strong>g ConditionsLook<strong>in</strong>g at the picture from the po<strong>in</strong>t of view of the household units, urban liv<strong>in</strong>g standards seem to be alittle more advantaged: better access to water, ma<strong>in</strong> power, flush, diet diversity, more equipment, larger sizeof houses and households, etc. Unlike Schutte 38 , who found more widespread nuclear households <strong>in</strong> Herat,urban households seem to be more extended accord<strong>in</strong>g to the NDSA results. However, some trends dosuggest that as urban lifestyles evolve, there is a possibility of the breakdown of social networks and supportsystems to draw upon.Female-headed Households: Address<strong>in</strong>g the Most Vulnerable and the PoorestHouseholds headed by a woman are both the poorest and the most vulnerable. This f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g corroboratesthe NRVA 2003 analysis that identified such households among the poor and very poor wealth groups. Asshown by the NRVA 2003, NDSA 2005 f<strong>in</strong>ds that women head of household are a higher proportion hav<strong>in</strong>gan <strong>in</strong>come generat<strong>in</strong>g activity. These households have lesser assets as well as poor nutritional diversity. Theyalso face more isolation, and thus, are not able to rely on a strong social capital <strong>in</strong> case of shocks andunpredictable events.Households headed by women are more present <strong>in</strong> urban areas, probably because of isolation from the rest ofthe family who is <strong>in</strong> the village. Tolerance for women heads of households might be also higher <strong>in</strong> major townsand the social expectations a little less salient. Hence, Afghan society ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s a strict control on honour ofwomen who must conform to traditional rules. As Dupree writes, “the hierarchical structure with<strong>in</strong> familiesleaves little room for <strong>in</strong>dividualism, for senior male members, the ultimate arbiters, ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> family honourand social status by ensur<strong>in</strong>g all members conform to prescribed forms of acceptable behaviour 39 ”.Chronic and Multifaceted PovertyIt is essential to focus upon the few results that have been found regard<strong>in</strong>g the small proportion of thepopulation that is better off than the majority. The trends observed lead to the belief that with regard tolivelihoods and liv<strong>in</strong>g conditions, disability impacts the more advantaged social groups. This, <strong>in</strong> turn, leads tothe strong assumption that as conditions <strong>in</strong> general improve, the impact of disability becomes salient. In otherwords, as households get out of poverty, households that have a disabled member will have to face moredifficulties and need more resources <strong>in</strong> order to improve their liv<strong>in</strong>g conditions. Disability is thus a ‘dormant’factor that is not on the forefront when we look at serious poverty. However, at the second stage, this factormay have a heavy impact by keep<strong>in</strong>g certa<strong>in</strong> households more vulnerable to poverty and less equipped toface risks <strong>in</strong> life.Householdsheaded by awoman are boththe poorestand the mostvulnerable.These householdshave lesserassets as well aspoor nutritionaldiversityAs a conclusion, it can be said that the difference between households with persons with disability andhouseholds without persons with disability is not significantly observable among poor households, but thatit becomes more important among households, which are better off. This leads us to believe that poverty isoften chronic and multifaceted, <strong>in</strong>fluenced by a number of variables. Disability affects liv<strong>in</strong>g conditions onceall the other factors have been tackled, mak<strong>in</strong>g persons with disability more vulnerable and more at riskof rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> poverty. Thus, it is necessary first to fight poverty and then to ensure security and <strong>in</strong>creasecapability by reduc<strong>in</strong>g vulnerability of households that have a disabled member.38SCHUTTE S. (2006), Poverty amid Prosperity: Urban Livelihood <strong>in</strong> Herat, <strong>Afghanistan</strong> Research and Evaluation Unit Report, AREU,May 2006, 61 pp.39DUPREE N. H. (2004), The Family dur<strong>in</strong>g Crisis <strong>in</strong> <strong>Afghanistan</strong>, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, vol. 35, 311:332.Livelihoods and Assets61