In Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, the reality of Afghanistan’s compounding economic collapse is captured in the daily struggle of Zohuruddin, a local resident forced into low-margin street vending to keep his family alive.
Speaking to Aamu TV, Zohuruddin—who serves as the sole provider for an eight-member household—shared how widespread unemployment and joblessness across central provinces eliminated formal work opportunities, leaving him with no choice but to work the streets from dawn until dusk.
The Informal Economy of Bare Survival
To earn even a fraction of a basic daily wage, Zohuruddin navigates the streets of Charikar carrying a mixed inventory of low-cost items, selling popcorn and petroleum jelly (Vaseline) while simultaneously collecting and trading qaqq (stale, dry bread scraps) for resale:
- Inadequate Daily Earnings: Despite spending twelve to fourteen hours on his feet every day, his total income frequently falls short of covering basic staple foods such as flour, cooking oil, and winter heating fuel.
- Supporting Large Dependents: As the head of an eight-member family, the pressure to secure daily meals is constant. “I spend all day from morning to evening on these streets, but I still cannot meet my family’s basic needs,” he noted.
- Structural Underemployment: Zohuruddin’s predicament reflects a nationwide trend where skilled and unskilled workers alike are pushed into hyper-fragmented informal micro-trades that offer zero income stability or growth.
A Compounding Urban Crisis
Story after story across Parwan, Kabul, and neighboring districts highlights how severe liquidity shortages, reduced humanitarian funding, and economic isolation have gutted local purchasing power.
Economic analysts note that without targeted labor programs, job creation initiatives, or structural investments in provincial commerce, millions of urban breadwinners remain trapped in subsistence-level street trading—leaving entire households vulnerable to extreme malnutrition and seasonal desperation as winter sets in.