Akhtar Jaan, Afghanistan: Rural life has always been difficult for Afghans in the rugged mountains of the East, but it was heaven compared to what they are coping with today.
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the area last Wednesday, killing more than 1,000 people, injuring three times more, and leaving thousands homeless.
“If life was not really good before – because the war had been going on for years – the earthquake made it even more difficult for us,” says Malin Jan, who lost two daughters in the earthquake.
All 14 houses in his village of Akhtar Jan were flattened, and the survivors – including some from outlying settlements – are now living in tents among the ruins.
Two small makeshift camps have been set up in the dusty gardens, with three cows, a donkey, two goats and a herd of chickens grazed by grass.
In an encircled tent, about 35 families – more than 300 people, including many children – are trying to survive.
Living so close to non-relatives is a curse for Afghans – especially in conservative rural areas where women rarely interact with strangers.
Sanitary conditions are likely to deteriorate rapidly – there are no toilets, and people have to draw water from a well to wash.
“Before the earthquake, life was good and beautiful,” says villager Abdu Rahman Abid.
“We had our homes and God was good.”
He gives a gruesome count of those lost in the rubble – his parents, his wife, three daughters, a son and a nephew.
“The earthquake killed eight of my family members and destroyed my house,” he says, looking weary.
“There’s a big difference now. Earlier we had our own homes and everything we needed. Now we have nothing and our families are living in tents.”
Neighbor Malin Jan is already looking ahead, fearing what will happen in the future.
In this remote central mountainous region, the severe winter which lasts for about five months will come in September.
“If our children live in this condition their lives will be in danger because of the rain and snow,” he says.
Masood Saqib, 37, who lost his wife and three daughters, is also scared for the months to come.
“It is also difficult to stay indoors in winter, so our lives will be in danger if our homes are not rebuilt,” he says.
On Saturday, the country’s top UN official, Ramiz Alkabarov, arrived from Kabul by helicopter to tour the region – including the village of Akhtar Jan – with representatives from each UN agency.
Alkabarov had tears in his eyes upon meeting a young girl, and a survivor offered him tea, admiring the people’s “resilience and courage”.
But his tenacity has spread till now.
Interviewed by AFP, the Afghan health minister, Qalandar Edad, warned of the “mental and psychological” suffering of the victims.
Malin Jan said that the villagers are trying their best to help each other in the time of crisis.
“When a family is hit by a tragedy, naturally others surround and support them,” he said.
“Everything is affected… we console each other.”
But they cannot do it alone, says villager Abdul Rahman Abib.
“We ask the world to help us as long as we need it. It should share our pain.”