Hello, I’m Wakil Ahmad. I’m 16 years old and live in Herat Province, Afghanistan.
All I wanted was to keep my dream of going to school alive. But my father died four years ago of heart disease, so I had to work to provide for my family.
I have five sisters, and my mother is sick and unable to work. As the only son, I must work on the streets as a shoe polisher to provide for our family’s basic needs. I was trying to do this whilst still going to school, but it was too much for me. It’s not what my family would choose either.
Going to school and working for the rest of the day was too hard. I’d earn less than £10 per month working on the streets polishing shoes for people. I couldn’t even afford the family expenses like food, clothing, and rent. Let alone school costs, things like stationery and uniform.
We had no choice as a family but to prioritise meeting increasing living costs. We decided I would drop out of school and work full-time. It would cut the school expenses and then I could work more hours to meet the family's needs.
I really want my children to go to school but it is impossible as I'm sick and can’t work to provide for the family's needsWakil's mother
Just as I was about to drop out of school, I met War Child Case Management Workers. They referred me to the Three Grants project. My mother as the head of our family was eligible for two rounds of cash support.
This meant that we were able to meet our household’s food and non-food basic needs. We could also get the stationery and basic things I needed for school for a couple of months. This support means I can continue my education. And do so without having to work on the streets to support my family.
