Ghulam Nabi’s account of the situation at his school

In areas prone to natural disasters such as Dadu District in Pakistan's Sindh Province, schools have been severely damaged by floods and other environmental disasters.

Pictured is a school affected by flooding. Water reached as high as the fabric on the left side of the building.

The 2022 floods destroyed many schools, forcing students to study in temporary tents. Said tents lacked functional toilets, creating unsanitary conditions that threatened school dropouts and jeopardized the educational prospects of many children.

Ghulam Nabi is a boy who is living under such circumstances. He is a third grader at a public elementary school in the flood-affected Dadu district. According to his teacher, Nabi is one of the brightest students in the school. Despite his family's difficult economic situation, he is eager to learn and is working hard at his studies.

Ghulam Nabi was devastated when he learned that his school had been hit by the 2022 floods. He asked his father to send him to another school, but this was not possible due to the family’s economic situation.

The government initially closed schools due to the flood emergency. Nevertheless, Nabi continued his studies at home, with the free assistance of a teacher who lived nearby. Despite the situation, his determination to continue his education remained unwavering. Today, his attends school out of a tent.

His school currently operates out of a temporary tent.

Children taking classes in a tent

JEN will be implementing a project to improve the educational environment in Dadu County. Nabi’s elementary school has been selected for the project and he was happy to learn that his school would be renovated and equipped with the necessary educational facilities.

From May onwards, temperatures reach around 40 degrees Celsius or higher. This makes taking classes from tents hot and uncomfortable.

Nabi told his parents and teachers that he intends to make the most of this opportunity and continue his studies with enthusiasm. He also expressed his gratitude to JEN and the Ministry of Education for helping his school.

JEN’s work gives hope to children like Nabi. With your support, we can continue to bring smiles to children. Please consider helping us in our efforts

*This project is funded by a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan's "Grant Assistance for NGO Cooperation" and donations to JEN.

Thank you for your support.

JEN is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances,

JEN provides support activities focusing on "restoring independent lives" and "psychological care.

Please support "the power to live" with JEN.

Click here to make a donation.

Livelihood support puts smiles on the faces of returnees!

JEN has started supporting returnees mainly in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, as described in the "Start of Support for Returnees" section.

Today, we introduce the "Livelihood Support Project”.

Returnees are forced to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan. These people move with little or no money or household goods from Pakistan and must start a new life.

Food being prepared and sold on the street with the utensils he had (before the project was implemented).

This project provided (1) tools and (2) business training to give returnees means and skills to help the most vulnerable returnees make a living in their new location.

Currently in Afghanistan, women's employment opportunities are very limited*, making life more difficult for mothers and their children.

*Women are allowed to work at home.

JEN provided sewing machines, irons, and fabrics to female-headed households, giving them the opportunity to work as tailors from their home.

Pictured is the handover ceremony. Gas-powered irons were provided because of a local electricity problem.

For households headed by men, JEN provided wheelbarrows and cooking utensils that could be used to sell products on the street, such as  street food and vegetables.


This is a scene of the handover ceremony. (1) The thirdman from the right is the one whose picture is shown in the "We will start supporting returnees.

Photo from the handover ceremony (2)

Before the project was implemented, the participants reported feeling depressed because they did not see a future, however the project seemed to act as a beacon of hope!

In addition, business training was provided on business design, sales planning, communication, and accounting management as a way to provide skills that can provide a stable income for the future.


Business training (1)

Business Training (2) The training was held at separate venues for men and women.

Those who received assistance said they were glad to be able to do business during Ramadan.

Ramadan is the month of "fasting," one of the Five Elements of Islam. During this period, people can only eat in between sunset to sunrise. In Ramadan people eat more and better meals than usual, and food consumption tends to be higher. The economy is also at its most active after Ramadan, with people feasting and shopping as celebration.

 JEN will continue to monitor and support the recipients of our assistance, ensuring their business success using the tools and skills they gained.

We will continue to work to bring smiles back to the Afghan people!

Click here to make a donation.

Recovering from the Floods: Mohammed Rises Again with Seed Sharing

My name is Mohamed Ali. I am a resident of Dadu District.

My family consists of seven people: myself, my wife, my son, and four daughters. Each of my children is working hard in their studies and my eldest daughter is pursuing her university degree.

The flood of 2022 destroyed our houses and infrastructure. We lost crops, seeds, agricultural materials, two goats and three cows. We will never forget the pain. For a long time after this disaster, we could not buy seeds or prepare our land for cultivation.

Then one day I learned about JEN, an NGO that provides agricultural assistance to flood-affected farmers in our area. Fortunately, our village became the target of the agricultural assistance project.



Receiving the "Best Farmer Award"

After much work, we are finally able to harvest wheat and vegetables and it is expected that we will continue to be able to produce enough for my family. From the seeds we harvested, we will distribute to two new farmers, so that more farmers will be able to grow their own crops and continue the JEN implemented activity.


Harvesting crops



Mohamed holding the harvested wheat

We heard the good news that JEN will be distributing additional summer vegetable seeds. This will be very useful not only for home use, but also for selling in the market. We have already received these seeds and are excited to start growing them right away.

We are truly grateful to JEN for providing us with the seeds, materials, and modern agricultural technology.

Mohamed Ali told us this story with a smile. I watched closely as Mohammed worked hard on his farm. He initially told me that he was helpless during the floods. I am very pleased to learn that he has become self-sufficient and that our project has opened up new possibilities for him. Mohamed is looking forward to providing some of the harvested seeds to other households and to passing on the knowledge he has gained to others. I sincerely hope that people in the affected areas will be able to live better lives like Mohamed.

(Qaisar: Project Officer)

　*This project is funded by a donation from Zensho Holdings, Inc. and a donation to JEN.

Thank you for your support.

JEN is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances,
JEN provides support activities focusing on "restoring independent lives" and "psychological care.

Please support "the power to live" with JEN.

Click here to make a donation.

Water Supply Project Provides Hope, Health, and Happiness

Below is the story of one of our project participants: Mr. Qaista, a 57 year old man who has lived in a village in the former FATA region of KP Province, Pakistan for a long time with his wife and three daughters.


Mr. Qaista’s village is located in the highlands, and the villagers travel long distances each day, by using donkeys or wheelbarrows, to obtain drinking water from a mountain spring. The main water source is 1,500 meters away from the village, resulting in a great challenge to the villagers as water scarcity has been an issue now for many years.

During drought periods, community members struggle to find drinking water and have little time and money to spend on sanitation, which worsens the sanitary conditions of the community. The only source of water, located on a hill far from the village, is also prone to contamination due to the lack of a lid.

After years of suffering from water problems, Mr. Qaista remembers the day JEN came to the village with a water supply plan to provide a water pipe and a communal water tap right next to the village. This plan included the construction of a water tank and a water fountain for livestock.

Mr. Qaista stated, "JEN's water supply project has made it easier for the community to have access to clean water. The rehabilitation work was carried out quickly, taking into account the needs of the community, and the restoration of the water source was completed in a short period of time, greatly improving the situation in the village," he said.

Mr. Qaista added, "JEN also worked with community volunteers to conduct sessions on water and sanitation. These sessions were very informative and increased the sanitation knowledge and awareness of the villagers. I am deeply grateful that after the completion of the water scheme, the community has clean drinking water and improved water sanitation promotion and health activities. It has given us hope, health, and happiness," he said  with a smile.

JEN is working to improve water sanitation in Orakzai District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province (formerly FATA), so that people affected by conflict and terrorism can secure and maintain safe drinking water.

Currently, water and sanitation promotion activities are being carried out in 7 villages (1,553 households), and water supply facilities have been successfully completed in 5 villages (1,188 households). 



Mr. Qaista and his family　　

Successful implementation of hygiene training programs

Staff and participants during monitoring

*This project is funded by a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan's "Grant Assistance for NGO Cooperation" and donations to JEN.

Thank you for your support.

JEN is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances,

JEN provides support activities focusing on "restoring independent lives" and "psychological care.

Please support "the power to live" with JEN.

Click here to make a donation.

Start supporting returnees

In October 2023, the Pakistani government announced that people without the documentation required to stay in the country would be repatriatedby the end of October, and by November they cracked down on those who had not left. As a result, by January 2024, more than 400,000 “returnees” had arrived in Afghanistan. Some of these people were born in Pakistan, never having lived in Afghanistan, and more than half of the 400,000 are children.

Many of the returnees have nowhere to settle due to a forced sudden move. They are trying to start a new life, relying on relatives living in Afghanistan. About 30% of these people are trying to settle down in “Nangarhar Province” just across the border. JEN has been working in “Nangarhar Province” for many years, and we plan to include the returnees in our projects.

JEN will start supporting these people by distributing school kits and hygiene kits to the children of returnees, distributing two months' worth of food to returnee households in particularly difficult circumstances, and providing livelihood support to help them rebuild their lives. We will do our best to support the returnees to form a good life in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, in Japan there are few opportunities to learn about the situation in Afghanistan in the news as there is limited information spread, however, JEN will continue to disseminate information and hope that you will follow it with interest.


Returnee selling street food with the tools he had.
JEN will support these people so that they can earn sufficient income.

Food distribution will include staple foods such as flour, rice, beans and, in keeping with local culture, green tea.
This picture shows a food distribution project JEN conducted in the past.

Thank you for your continued support.
JEN is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances, through helping them regain their independence and providing psychological support.
Please support “the power to live” with JEN.

Thank you for your support.

JEN is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances,

JEN provides support activities focusing on "restoring independent lives" and "psychological care.

Please support "the power to live" with JEN.

Click here to make a donation.

Lifestyle has changed after the completion of a well and water standpoints

The construction of a well and water stand points completed through the project for improving the water and sanitation environment in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. A handover ceremony was held to mark the occasion. Commemorative turbans and tools needed to maintain the well and solar panels were gifted to members of the Well Management Committee (WMC). From now on, WMC will take the lead in managing and operating the well, using the maintenance fees collected from the residents.

The construction of these new facilities has brought a positive impact on the lives of the villagers. The residents used to travel to streams and wells far away from their homes (often 3 km or more) many times a day. They would spend most of the day to secure water they needed for living. Since it’s common for children and women to fetch water, they couldn't go to school or had no choice but to sacrifice work or household chores. One of the villagers used to go to an unsanitary water source about 5 km away every day. She was delighted that the new water standpoints in the compound would increase her free time and would enable her to focus on the cultivation of agricultural products.

Children are now able to go to school and mosques, and have time to play cricket or volleyball. Some of the adults say, “We now have time to work in the city and can bring food to the table for our families”, and “We can focus on household chores, childcare and breastfeeding.” Some people can now make an income from home gardening, livestock or handicrafts.

Additionally, diarrhea has been reduced thanks to hand washing with safe water and soap with a proper hygiene knowledge. It has become possible to take measures against Covid-19 at home. Some people even feel that they have become healthier by the improved hygiene environment. The internally displaced people in the village with limited personal belongings expressed that the water tanks distributed by JEN helped them to secure safe water at home.

Previously, the water sources were so far away that there were various difficulties to the lives of the residents. However, the construction of a well and water standpoints has given them more time to spare in their daily lives. The better hygiene knowledge has improved their health conditions as well. Many possibilities have seemed to arise, which will lead to their independent future.

Solar panels that generate power for pumping, and the completed water reservoir

Training for maintenance of a well and water standpoints

Voluntary cleaning activities by WMC

“I’ve never used soap in my entire life.” ＜A participant’s interview＞

Mr. Samar Ahmad［Male, 43 years old］

Location：Guldara Village, Chaparhar

“For the first time in my life, I heard about using soap for enhanced sanitation from the hygiene specialist. I have never even thought of using one in my entire life before.”

We interviewed Mr. Samar Ahmad, the head of the family of 13, wives of 2, sons of 6, daughters of 4 living in the neighbourhood of JEN’s project site for constructing a solar-powered pipeline providing clean water. Mr. Samar Ahmad was also keen on gaining new knowledge through the hygiene education sessions provided by JEN in September 2020.

Mr.Samar Ahmad on the interview. March 24, 2020

Mr. Ahmad: “I now have become aware of a method for water purification, critical times throughout a day for handwashing, various types of hygiene (personal, environmental and oral) and food safety.”

Q: “I heard you have never heard of soap, is that right?”

A (Mr. Ahmad): “Well, I knew about soap but I have never used it before because I wasn’t aware of its priority for enhancing our hygiene situation, and we couldn’t afford it. Although, ever since we received the hygiene education and the kits, we equipped ourselves with a new daily routine, and started using soap every day ”

Q: “I understand that poverty interferes with your affordability of soap. Would it be financially difficult to prioritize soap?”

A: “I don’t think so. For now, we use things in the hygiene kits that JEN gave us, which include 5 bar soaps, a nail clipper, 3 tubes of toothpaste, 6 toothbrushes, 3 toilet paper rolls, 2 boxes of tissue, 2 towels, a pack of sanitary pads, and 21L water tank. Even after we use up the soap, we’ll buy more because it certainly taught us the benefit of using one. Using soap in hand washing significantly reduced the likelihood of catching diseases and experiencing diarrhea caused by unfiltered water. We now confidently know that some health issues were related to unsanitary surroundings”

Diarrhea and diseases caused by contaminated water have been very common among people in this region as they had no custom of using soap in their daily lives traditionally. These problems have made it difficult for children to go to school and for adults to go to work.

The net over dishes prevents insects from spreading diseases.

Mr. Samar Ahmad: “I’m really grateful for the people in Japan for providing us hygiene education and the kits, and ensuring our access to safe drinking water by laying out pipelines and water standpoints per compound. We can save so much medical cost since we don’t get sick as much as we used to.”

“I would love for JEN to host livelihood support programs with human resource development in the future so that more people can become qualified for various employment opportunities. Thank you for your swift response.”

A new standpoint built in front of Mr. Ahmad’s house.

A newly constructed toilet.

The house of Mr. Ahmad’ family.

Progress of the water and sanitation project in Chaparhar district

The water and sanitation project in Chaparhar, Nangarhar province, which we started in September 2020, is close to the finish line. Here is an update on the project.

We construct a well, a water reservoir, and water standpoints through the project. The quality and the safety of water drawn from the well has been confirmed, and the water reservoir construction will be completed soon.

The residents can access safe drinking water easily upon completion of the water standpoints and the placement of pipes to connect between the standpoints and the reservoir.

Water reservoir will be ready soon!

Hygiene education is one of the main components of the project. We delivered lectures on the importance of public hygiene, which has not been taken so seriously in this region, and the necessity of proper hand washing with soap, which has become more important than ever under the Covid-19 pandemic, with respect for Afghan cultural background. We also handed a hygiene kit which includes soaps, toothbrushes, water tank, etc., to each household so that the people can put our lecture into practice.

Hygiene kits for practicing what the people learned are waiting to be delivered.

We handed the hygiene kits after the session. Participants checked inside the bags.

There were four sessions in the hygiene education course. Even before the completion of the course, we could see the change in the awareness and action of the people. Many people told us that they started cleaning up their premise or building a toilet.

We will finish this project by April. We will report the situation after the completion of the project on this website.

Conducted the Monitoring of Winterization Support

At the beginning of December, JEN distributed winterization relief supplies to 78 households who lost their house due to the heavy rain and flash floods in Eastern Afghanistan. One week after this, we visited 25 households who received the supplies to see if they had any problem or question on the use of the supplies. Sandali, one of the distributed items, is a heating material used with charcoal. At the distribution venue, JEN had explained the proper use of Sandali to avoid getting burnt or causing fire. This time we confirmed their ignition procedure and checked whether they understand it correctly.

We were able to confirm that all the households we visited utilized the supplies and were satisfied with these qualities.

These days, the minimum temperature in Charikar has been below the freezing point. JEN hope this project supports those who lost their house to survive the cold winter and to reconstruct their lives.

Dream Bags Project Amid COVID-19 crisis

JEN rushed the preparation of Dream Bag distribution because schools could be closed again anytime due to COVID-19. The distribution of 6241 Dream Bags was successfully completed in 5 days, between November 3^rd and the 5th.

There had been some pupils who feel tiresome to go to school again due to the influence of the first shutdown of schools. However, after they heard about Dream Bag, they became active when they participate in classes and happily asked their teachers “When are the Dream Bags going to arrive?” .

A JEN staff explaining pupils how to open Dream Bags.

During this year’s Dream Bag distribution, JEN also conducted hygiene education, namely a proper way to wash hands, emphasizing the importance of such hygienical actions.

One scene of Hygiene education

Pupils were very happy to receive Dream Bags. They showed the contents of Dream Bags with each other.  Some pupils painted pictures as a sign of gratitude and friendship for Japanese children who sent Dream Bags.

Pupils receiving Dream Bags

Pupils when they opened Dream Bags

A second-grade girl who loves painting happened to receive a Dream Bag that contained 24-color-crayon and a stuffed toy, and was so excited. She told us so happily, “My dream is to have crayon that is available in various colors. I will use the stuffed toy and stationery that I received with my sister who I always play together. But this crayon is my treasure. I will draw pictures using this crayon throughout the winter vacation.”

Pupils showing pictures that they drew using the color pencils came with her Dream Bag.

▼A message of a JEN Afghanistan staff

Those pupils who received Dream Bags this time live in one of financially difficult areas in Afghanistan.  In this area, people sometimes cannot afford the costs of minimum necessity of pencils and notebooks for learning in school.

Despite such circumstances, pupils who received stationaries and toys told us “I want to be a math teacher for my country” and “I will study hard and will be a doctor.” Parents also commented “I could not continue my study because of poverty and civil war. So, my dream is that I let children go to school and live better lives.”

I think education is necessary for their dreams to come true. I am sure that the promoting education will help their dreams to come true and as a result, brings a peaceful future.