8am: As Eid al-Fitr approaches in Afghanistan, many families find themselves without bread on their tables and facing severe unemployment that threatens their livelihoods. Blistering poverty, along with political and economic crises, has pushed them to the brink of despair. For most, purchasing power has dwindled, with little sign of the joyous celebrations of past holidays. The Taliban’s inability to control food prices and their failure to provide social and welfare services have heightened desperation among the populace to meet basic needs. Mass deprivation of women from employment and the disappearance of institutions that once offered income have left people destitute, their Eid tables empty. Economic experts argue that persistent unemployment and a lack of job opportunities in a bankrupt economy have contributed to this decline in purchasing power. They highlight non-payment of salaries to workers and women’s unemployment as factors further diminishing people’s purchasing power. Click here to read more (external link).