Aziza's mobility improves with HI so she can harvest her garden

“My name is Aziza. I am 21 years old and I live in the Yakawlang District of Bamyan Province. Since birth, one of my legs has been shorter than the other. But I have always tried to contribute to my family and take part in daily activities as independently as possible.

A garden to feed the family

With support from HI and its partners, I received a home garden, which I manage myself. I plant, water, harvest, and sort vegetables.

But when I started working in the garden, I experienced pain during some activities, particularly when watering and tending the garden. This sometimes made it difficult and uncomfortable for me to continue working independently.

So, I took part in physical therapy from HI, which was particularly helpful when I was watering the plants and working in the garden. The physical therapist provided me exercises to do and taught me appropriate body positioning and safe techniques for daily activities and gardening.

I also received a chair to use while watering the garden, as well as boots and gloves. These items have made gardening easier and more comfortable for me, and the waterproof boots and gardening gloves are particularly useful.

The pain decreased

By doing doing the exercises regularly and following the guidance, my pain gradually decreased. I can now carry out my daily activities and gardening tasks without pain.

After the rehabilitation sessions, the physical therapist visited my home three times to monitor my progress and provide additional guidance.

I use the vegetables from the garden to meet my family’s food needs and share some with our neighbors. My father also takes some of the vegetables that I have harvested and sorted to Band-e Amir where he sometimes sells them near the Band-e Amir intersection, which provides additional support to our family.”

I am very happy with the physical therapy services, supportive items, and home garden I received. I sincerely thank HI and its partners for their support.

CDCS Project- Strengthening Inclusive and Gender-Sensitive Disaster Risk Reduction in Bamyan and Emergency Response in Afghanistan. It provides combined livelihood assistance with individualized measures including physical therapy to address the difficulties persons with disabilities faced in participating in their daily activity.