Afghanistan’s disabled left to fend for themselves

Three decades of war, millions of landmines and inadequate healthcare have contributed to a large population of disabled, crippled, and maimed Afghans forced to live on the streets and eke out an existence by scavenging for food and begging for change, Rosie Dimanno writes in Wednesday’s Toronto Star.

Disabled Afghans receive 400 Afghanis a month in benefits from the government – about 8 dollars Canadian. But they are required to go to an office to receive the money, which is impossible for many of the disabled who are completely immobile.

A 2005 survey carried out by Handicap International found that more than 2.7 percent of Afghanistan’s population is stricken with a “severe” disability, while more than 4.8 percent of the nation suffers from a “minor” disability. The study put the total number of severely disabled Afghans at 867,000.

For the full article, click here.